★ Iron cap
The river in the east of the village flows northward to a large pit, which covers more than a hundred acres of land. Dense pampas grass grows in the pit, and the slender leaves are smooth and green. Looking down from a high place, the lake pit looks like a beautiful emerald inlaid on the ground. It's a paradise for birds and fish, and of course there are scary colorful snakes and disgusting pimple-covered toads. The pampas grass grows something like garlic sprouts, which is delicious when young. Children go there in groups to play. We all call it pampas grass. When we leave, each person has to take a big bundle with him. If he is lucky, he can also find birds. Eggs or unflighted young birds.
To the north of the pit is a broken embankment. The new embankment has been moved four or five miles to the north. We all call it the old embankment. There is a sandy land between the old embankment and the pit. There is a road along the river, from Quzhen to the northeast to Quanlishi. The sound of ghosts passed through this sandy land.
It is said that there is a kind of melon old man in the sand. He is over 70 years old and has been growing melons here for many years. As an old man, he has seen everything, and he becomes acquainted with the little watchman beside the pit. Late at night, Xiaobiao often comes and talks about people and ghosts.
One night, Xiaobiao came to see the old man again. When Xiao Biao left, he said to the old man, "I won't be with you anymore." The old man said, "Where are you going?" Xiao Biao said, "I am going to be reincarnated. It happens once every three years. If I miss this time, it will take another three years." The old man knows that when a ghost is reincarnated, one person must die. If it is a very old person, it will be fine, but if it is a young person, it will be a pity. The old man was more thoughtful and asked when and where it would be reincarnated. Xiao Biao said it was a secret and could not be told. The old man said that we are still good friends. Please tell me that I will not ruin your business. Xiaobiao couldn't stand the old man's repeated questioning and said that a man wearing an "iron hat" coming from the southeast at noon tomorrow was its substitute.
The old man kept it in mind and wondered in his heart, what kind of person wearing an iron hat is there on a hot day? But I still kept my mind.
The next day, the old man sat in the melon shed and observed everyone coming from the southeast since early in the morning. The weather was very hot, but the old man endured and did not find anyone wearing an "iron hat". The old man was slacking off. It was almost past twelve o'clock, and the old man thought, Xiaobiao, let him lie to him, but at this moment, he saw another person coming from the southeast. He only saw that the person's head was very big, and the old man was dazzled, and he was very puzzled. This person's head is so big! Slowly approaching, oh, it turned out that the sun was too hot, so the man bought an iron pot and put it on his head to block the sun. The man came to the pit, threw the iron pot away, and said that it was too hot and wanted to jump into the pit to take a bath. The old man felt something in his heart. Isn't it like wearing an "iron hat" with an iron pot on his head?
The old man stepped forward quickly and said, "Don't take a bath, have a melon, and talk." The man said no, no, just clean up, or jump into the trap. The old man grabbed his iron pot and walked into the melon shed. When the man saw it, he said anxiously, "What are you doing with my pot?" The old man quickly walked into the melon shed, and the man followed anxiously. As soon as the old man entered, he opened a ripe watermelon and handed it to the man. The man rubbed his hands and said, "Look, take a look." He took the melon and ate it. It was too hot.
The old man was looking for some gossip. Unconsciously, the sun turned to the west, so the man took the pot and left.
At night, Xiao Biao came, annoyed the old man, and had a big quarrel with the old man. The old man laughed and said nothing. Anyway, the man's life was saved. Xiao Biao is also very helpless and can only wait for the next three years of reincarnation!
This story has been circulating for a long time. It seems to say that when you meet someone who is in a hurry to do something, if you see evil spirits, you stop them. If you miss that time, you will be fine!
Now the pit is very small and the pampas grass is very sparse. In the 1980s, it was almost flattened by irrigation and siltation. The broken embankments were burned into bricks and sold, and the sand from the sand was taken away for people to build houses!