Chapter 31: The Village Temple
Yes, I remember that day very clearly.
From the time Uncle Erniu's roar shook the clouds out of the sky, the heavy rain stopped, the electricity didn't flash and the thunder didn't roar, the sky was clear! The setting sun hung over the hidden Taihang Mountains in the west, spreading its afterglow.
The driver of the tractor's throttle to the maximum, bursting with black smoke rushed into the village, driving to the front street was about to turn left toward the town of the pier when the original has been in a semi-comatose state of the second uncle suddenly sat up, shouted: "Stop, I have to go home!"
The tractor crunched out a few braking sounds, because the brakes were too sharp, the tractor stalled.
A few of us are still in a daze, the second uncle rolled over and jumped off the tractor, striding towards the north of the village home.
Chen Lockzhu was the first to react, hurriedly jumped out of the car and chased after him. We also came back to our senses, hurriedly jumped out of the car, rushed to catch up with the second uncle, to pull him back, we must let him go to accept the examination to go.
However, the few of us couldn't pull him back at all. He acted as if there was nothing wrong with him at all, saying that he had to hurry back and that time was running out.
None of us knew what he meant by time was running out. We were just puzzled and followed him towards home. When we were almost home, Second Uncle asked me to go and call Grandpa over to his house, saying that we always had to say goodbye.
Until this time, followed by the second uncle's me and my father, and Chen Lockzhu and other people, only suddenly woke up, the second uncle this is back to the light, he realized that he has not been able to, to say goodbye to the family …… This makes a person for a time at all difficult to accept, how is it possible? Even if he is tired and injured, it is not enough to exhaust him to death ah! In my mind, the second uncle will always be that toughest character, he just to stand there, that is a mountain, a ridge ……
"Hurry back and call your grandfather ah!" My dad yelled and kicked me, I just woke up, wiped my tears and ran towards home.
I called my grandfather, grandparents and grandchildren hurried to the second uncle's house, the courtyard was already full of people.
Chang Zhishu, the village chief, the director of governance, and some villagers, men and women, young and old, a lot of …… Chang Zhishu saw us come, hurriedly urged: "Quickly into the house, the second cow waiting to see you, alas."
My grandfather and I can see from Chang Zhishu and the eyes of the people in the yard, things are very serious.
As you can imagine, when we stepped into the hall and walked to the inner room, we saw Second Uncle lying on the bed, his face was not pale white, but red, red and a little scary, glowing with an eerie light.
Aunt sat on the edge of the bed and wiped tears, but did not dare to cry out. I think it was my second uncle who didn't let her cry out, right?
Dad and Chen Lockzhu sat on the stool next to him, and when they saw my grandfather come in, they hastened to give up their seats, but my grandfather did not take a seat, and went directly to the bed, sitting on the side of the second uncle's legs, and softly called out to the second uncle: "Erniu ah, your body bones are not comfortable? Don't worry, the Zhao family is blessed by our ancestors."
"Father, I understand everything, alas …… it is time to go." The second uncle sighed, blinked his eyes, we now, his eyelids even with a golden aura. The second uncle said faintly, "Father, I am waiting for your old man to come, and then see your old man, I really have to go ……"
"Erniu!" Grandpa and father and Chen Lockzhu shouted almost simultaneously, not allowing my second uncle to say such words.
I also hurriedly shouted down to my second uncle, and I knew that my eyes, already filled with tears, my vision was a little blurred.
Second uncle raised his hand and shook it, sighed and said: "Originally I did not quite understand, just in the South River embankment, the circle of livestock headgear and reins on the back of the body after, suddenly I understand everything, understand a lot, huh, past life and present life …… Zhao Erniu, it is time to go. Father, big brother, lock pillar, Yinle, huh, Xiang Yun, oh, now should call the child his mother, you ah, all don't be angry, I'm gone, not dead, counted as a good thing it, I was originally the stars of the sky, helpless down into the mortal world, today, it is time to go ah!"
Once this sentence was finished, the room was filled with shock, everyone's jaws dropped, what heavenly astrologer? What do you mean by descending into the mortal world ah?
"You a thousand should not be ten thousand should not, should not be that circle of livestock headgear and reins, set on their own body ah, alas ……" Hu Lao Si's business from the doorway of the inner room, he lifted the curtains and walked in, it is very rare, he changed into that one of the Taoist robes, holding in his hands the peach wood Sword, bagua cloth bag hanging on the waist, after entering the room, looked straight at my second uncle, said faintly: "Jinniu star ah Jinniu star, really remarkable, no wonder no one could see through you before, the original you are actually the stars of the stars down to earth."
We were even more shocked, looking at Hu Laoshi, then at my second uncle.
My second uncle smiled faintly and said, "Hu Laoshi, how can you recognize the real immortals with your little Taoist skills? I don't blame you, I didn't realize who I was until today."
Hu Laoshi said awkwardly, "That's right, that's right, I just want to ask you, that, that Black Dragon Cave's Jiao in the West Mountain, is it dead or alive?"
"Don't worry, when I leave, I'm going to take it away as well." Second Uncle said faintly.
The people in the room finally slowed down from the shock, and were thinking of what to say, but the second uncle suddenly opened his eyes fiercely, and said sharply, "Don't be sad, everyone, I'm not dying, but leaving, I should go, I should go ……"
Saying this, before we could react, Second Uncle's eyes had already closed.
"Erniu!"
"Second uncle!"
The people in the room all shouted.
Auntie suddenly cried loudly, her cries tore at her heart and lungs, reaching to the heavens!
Outside the courtyard villagers all quiet, at this time, the sky suddenly dark, I do not know is the light of the setting sun shines in the courtyard or this day suddenly changed color, always full of courtyard is red light, yes, compared to the white bright light, this is a lot of darkness. But this time the red light of the courtyard, but let a person for no reason feel a kind of inexplicable solemnity.
In the yard, the house, all quiet, not a sound.
The sky suddenly came rolling sound of muffled thunder, just like the sky, someone sounded a drum, and kept beating, sounding ……
……
The older people in the village all said that they had never seen such a grand funeral in their lives.
The grave was designated by Hu Laoshi himself, right next to the South Riverbank water pumping station, however, the grave did not have a monument, nor did it raise a grave.
This was a unanimous decision by Hu and all the villagers, not allowing our family to agree or not. They wanted to build the Golden Calf Temple above the grave, so that the villagers could worship it for generations and let the Golden Calf Star keep peace in the village forever.
Can our family not agree to such a thing? Yes, we agreed.
The date of the burial was chosen on the fourth day after the departure of the second uncle.
When my second uncle was buried, everyone in the village came out from their homes, men and women, young and old, even the babies that were a few months old were carried by their parents to see my second uncle off.
The day of the burial, from the morning began to pattering rain, the rain has not stopped.
Noon after twelve o'clock, the sound of firecrackers, the village of the great old man twenty-four people set up the coffin, carried to the south of the village, every twenty meters a stop, and then the sound of firecrackers sound, and then replace the twenty-four people, lifting up the coffin to go twenty meters, and then listen to the sound of firecrackers sound, and then replace the person ……
Second uncle's coffin, is the village pooled funds to buy, the villagers do not allow our family to pay for the coffin, even the money for the funeral, do not allow our family to pay, the villagers said: Zhao Erniu, is your Zhao family's Erniu, can be the Golden Calf Star, is our village's life-saving benefactor.
From the north of the village has been to the south of the village of Busan River embankment, the village crowd step by step followed, walking, has been sent to the second uncle on the embankment.
At the time of burial, the embankment was crowded with men and women, young and old, the coffin into the ground, Chang Zhishu took the lead in the first to shovel soil into the grave pit, and then the village men took turns to fill the pit with soil, shovel after shovel, each village men, all have a share.
Auntie was crying, and my mother, Chen Jinniang, and the village women, one by one, were comforting her.
The sound of firecrackers started when the first spade of soil was shoveled, and it didn't stop until the tomb was finally completed.
Everywhere on the embankment, people are burning paper and wine and cigarettes …… Many people are crying, but the voice is not loud, people with unlimited feelings of awe, in awe of Zhao Erniu this person, in awe of Zhao Erniu, the heavenly golden calf star.
Until this time, the village people think of Zhao Erniu in the life of the good, yes, they all know that he is short-tempered, ferocious nature, but who does not know that he dealt with the people of the righteousness, willingness to help people?
Sixty years ago, the village young people except begging for food, bullied, which is not someone Zhao Erniu stepped forward, fighting, so that the villagers will not be bullied outside?
During the flood in 1963, the neighboring villages and townships deducted the relief food allocated by the state, it was Zhao Erniu who led a group of young people to the townships and the brigade headquarters of the neighboring villages, and forced the cadres of the townships and neighboring villages to return the relief food that had been deducted from the village to our village in a forceful manner.
During the Cultural Revolution, the village village to engage in criticism, everywhere the scourge of people, our village in addition to a few really for the wrongdoing of the people were criticized, very few people were killed, even Hu Laoshi such a typical character of the cow ghosts and snakes, but also did not suffer much persecution …… All of this is not because of the people Zhao Erniu was the year of the Red Guards leader, and later on the village of the typical advanced figure? The reason for this is that Zhao Erniu was the leader of the Red Guards back in the day, and later on he became a typical advanced character in the village.
In the latter part of the Cultural Revolution, when there were disputes between villages over farmland, it was Zhao Erniu who stepped forward, carrying a shovel and leading a group of men to stand on the ridge, so that people from other villages did not dare to encroach on our village's land for a single point.
When the villagers in Handan did not get their wages back, Zhao Erniu led a group of people to the home of the contractor, the contractor was severely beaten, and the money was taken back. ……
……
A lot of things, to this day, people just remembered.
Yes, people remembered, all remembered.
The day before the burial, the village had bought new bricks and tiles, new wooden beams and new rafters, why? To build a temple!
Previously, the village to build a temple to repair the temple, with things are old, and this time to build a temple, people since the collection of funds, to buy all the things, are new.
The third day after the burial, the weather cleared for two days, the land is basically almost dry, the villagers began to play the foundation, cover the temple.
In just two days, the temple was built, waiting for the temple walls to dry out after the renovation, installation of doors and windows.
Golden Calf Temple building scale, than the previous temple to be much larger, this time built a large room, east-west length of eight meters, north-south width of five meters, red brick and green tiles, doors and windows are open spacious and bright. The temple sits south to north, backed by the Busan River, north of Shuanghe Village, the temple floor all paved with bricks, wall joints all filled with cement, scraping is flat and clean.
And next to the Golden Calf Temple, but also built a slightly smaller side temple, is the temple of the year-old. Village people and Hu Laoshi to discuss the matter of building a temple, Hu Laoshi proposed to build the temple of the year-old, and told everyone the past of the year-old, the villagers immediately agreed. Tai Sui Temple, have to build!
In order to let the temple walls dry out earlier, people in the temple with a coal stove, a temple with three or four coal stove, is to let the walls dry out faster.
A few days later, the temple began to decorate. The village at the foot of Peak Mountain to let people carve the golden calf statue, also transported.
The golden bull statue of the whole body with a child carved from a huge stone, is a bull ang climbing, two horns slightly bent, the tip of the horn in the sky, like two meters high, the base is half a meter high, like a meter wide, the base is one meter wide, one meter five, three meters long. Bull body painted purple-gold color, black and red, bull body robust and strong, exquisite craftsmanship, the positive Zunxun carving of the bull alive and well.
The golden bull statue was placed on the east side of the temple door two meters in front of the temple, in the middle of the golden bull temple and the temple of too old. Originally the village is to get a more spacious place here, just the riverbank at the area itself is not big, if not next to the water pump station, here will not be too big place, even so, in order to build these two temples, especially the Golden Calf Temple, the village people also special fill in a piece of land it.
The day the temple was opened, all the village people gathered on the south embankment, to be dedicated to the memory of Zhao Erniu, as well as the nondescript old woman.
Once again, the village old ladies, who were all too familiar with the rituals of temple worship, acted as the leaders. Well, in order to gain the hearts of the people and not to lose them, they gave up the reconstruction of any of the temples in the village and promised the villagers that from now on, they would never again worship any temples or any deities, and would only worship and guard the Golden Calf Temple and the Temple of the Old Man of Tai Sui.
Inside the temple, on the altar is a stone statue, carved of a middle-aged man, a green shirt of the ancient kind, tall and broad, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, his hand pressed on the sword hanging from his waist, majestic, with three words carved on the scabbard: Zhao Erniu.
The offering table is two meters long and one and a half meters wide, carved out of green stone, the legs of the table are carved with the pattern of flying dragons, while in the center of the table, there is a pattern of a bull carved.
Incense burner is not placed in the temple, but outside the temple is facing the temple door two meters, the opening diameter of one meter, seventy centimeters high, three feet tripod, foot high fourteen centimeters.
A set of furnishings simple and complete, but not lose the solemnity.
Temple door painted vermilion, the temple door on both sides with cement coating, on the red paint and black characters, written as a couplet: heavenly illumination of the people, the lower ground to protect the people. Banner: save the world and the people.
Right in front of the temple door six meters away, next to the embankment planted five willow trees, meaning that the five elements are full.
Hu Laoshi presided over the ceremony of inviting the gods to return to their places, the sound of firecrackers, Hu Laoshi set up the god platform, do the style, please the gods ……
And our gang, standing far away from the edge of the east canal, watching the villagers busy these. Chen Jin this day, but also strongly requested to come with us, these days, Chen Jin's body recovery is good, now has been able to come out and walk, although, can not long walk can not run.
Chen Jin said, he must be in the villagers are dispersed, personally go to the temple, properly to the old age of the temple, burn some paper, kowtow a few, he felt sorry for the old age of the old age of the old age of the old age of the old age of the old age of the life, in exchange for his life, he has been feeling guilty, guilty ……
……
After that, the village every New Year's holiday, and the day of the two cattle uncle, the villagers will walk a long way to the South Embankment of the Golden Calf Temple in honor of the Golden Calf Star, and then worship the old woman.
This habit was gradually passed down.
In the late summer and early fall of 1993, I don't know where to blow a wind to break the four old and superstitious, each village elementary school secondary school students under the leadership of the teacher, began to demolish temples, superstition …… It is said that within a radius of a hundred miles, in addition to nationally protected cultural relics and monuments of temples, other small village temples, all were eradicated by the students, and then the students were forced to go back to the village. All of them were eradicated by the students, and even the graves of those who had no descendants in the fields were flattened.
Our village elementary school teachers naturally can not be idle, and the principal of a discussion, the village of Shuanghe Village, there is no temple, except the village south of the embankment there are two large temples, led the students to tear down! So a group of teachers led the students out in force, go to the South Embankment of the Busan River to demolish the Golden Calf Temple and the temple.
In fact, can not blame them, the students are young and do not understand the child, the teachers and principals, are not our village, are later transferred here, the late eighties there are two years of the rise of the village teachers outside the village teaching, can not be taught in the village of things, all the teachers of the village have gone to teach outside the village.
When the students and principals and teachers hundreds of people came to the South River embankment, the students did not move, the original noisy voice all gone, teachers and principals are also stunned.
Golden Calf Temple of the temple door that open space, a few thirty-something middle-aged people sitting on the ground, in a circle, the center of some food and wine, they are drinking, while the children chatting, laughter.
What makes them feel afraid is that next to the riverbank of five buckets thick willow tree trunks above, cut a few cold light shining kitchen knife, let a person daunted.
In fact, if it is just the gang of children, see a few of us here, will understand that this temple can not be demolished, can not be moved, especially us a few adults, can not be messed with. Since childhood in the village, they also understand the villagers for the two temples here, especially this golden calf temple feelings and respect.
However, the teachers and principals, they do not understand, do not know, even went up to the front with our theory, say something to break down superstition, believe in science, in order to educate the flowers of the motherland, so that they have been erected since childhood to learn knowledge and believe in science and not superstitious ideas, you have to let them do it themselves, dismantle the temple to break down the superstitious beliefs, to remove the superstitious beliefs of the countryside for thousands of years, to liberate the children's minds, so that they no longer subject to The old society superstitious thought poison …… and so on and so forth.
The reasoning of a whole lot, a few of us simply did not listen to it.
Finally really listen to the impatient, Chen Jin and I both turn their heads at the same time, reaching out and pointing to the chopper that cut in the big willow tree, said: "break superstition we do not care, demolition of the Golden Calf Temple, well, ask those choppers to go, if you feel that the chopper cut in your head does not hurt, but also did not hurt, you rushed over to demolish it."
The teachers froze, what is this? A threat? They were a bit scared, they really didn't understand that it wasn't just tearing down a temple, why were these middle-aged men like this?
A few of us glared at the group of kids, so a few of us from our respective families, we all slipped out of the crowd and ran towards the village.
The main road leading to the village, many villagers riding bicycles rushed to come here after seeing a few of us in it, they cheerfully greeted, and then cross-eyed grabbed their own children's ears to drag back, those children back home, naturally inevitable a scolding or a beating.
A few kind-hearted villagers went up and whispered a warning to a few teachers and principals, the Golden Calf Temple simply told them, a few teachers and principals rushed down the slope, gray slipped away.
Later, the principal and teachers carefully inquired about the Golden Calf Temple and our gang of things, but also special children to find our village cadres and a few of us sat down properly once, ate a meal and drank a meal, they only settled down, or the whole day in the school heart trembling.
That day we have a few brothers and sisters and drink more wine, when I returned home drunk, Liu Yawen said that today we have that closet has been ringing, she opened a few times to see what is not right, the heart is still a little afraid of it.
I laughingly said that she was timid, it is possible that the rats are still playing tricks.
Saying that, I went to the closet, will open the closet, a yellow cloth wrapped in something on top of a few layers of clothing, never seen before there is such a thing ah. I was curious to take it out, after opening the package, I froze.
The yellow cloth wrapped in an old greenish-yellow thread-bound book, more than a centimeter thick, the cover is clearly written three words: the book of the other place.
I sat on my butt on the bed, stunned, unable to say a word.
(End of book)