Soul-calming shroud
In a remote street corner, tailor Jiang runs his own funeral clothing store. There is a flower basket at the door, which is filled with all kinds of funeral clothing, black, royal blue, orange, red, green… colorful and dazzling. During the day, the sun shines through the window onto the funeral clothing, which looks like gold and silver threads; and at night, under the dim light, the hanging clothes look like neatly arranged hanged ghosts. On weekdays, tailor Jiang hides behind these funeral clothing, occasionally sticking his head out, and his pale face will scare people.
On this day, tailor Jiang hung up a black cotton shroud and looked around, feeling a little uneasy. This was a shroud he had carefully made, and it took him a whole week to make. The shroud was custom-made by customer Li Long for his deceased father. He said that winter was coming and he wanted to bury a cotton shroud for his father, and he wanted new cotton for that year, and he also brought the pattern for tailor Jiang to make.
When he saw the pattern at first, Tailor Jiang did not think much of it. But when he sat under the lamp and looked at it carefully, he suddenly felt dizzy: the pattern was quite strange, an old turtle was perched on a huge bluestone, as steady as a mountain.
Entering the inner room, Tailor Jiang flipped through the ancient books on shrouds left by his grandfather and father, and finally found this picture. After reading it, his heart sank. This is a picture of an old turtle suppressing ghosts. The bluestone suppresses the ghosts, and the old turtle suppresses them. The dead will never be reincarnated. Although it is a false legend, Tailor Jiang is still uneasy: Why does Li Long want to suppress his father's ghost? However, Tailor Jiang can't care about all this. He opened a shop to welcome customers and collected money to give away clothes. He is doing business, not running a conscience shop!
Li Long came, slapped a thousand yuan on the table, picked up the shroud and left. Tailor Jiang took the money, but was still a little curious, so he asked, "Why did you think of embroidering this pattern?" Li Long rolled his eyes at him and said nothing.
As night fell, Tailor Jiang was tired from work and wanted to rest. Suddenly, he saw the paper coffin in the corner move. The paper coffin was just a cardboard shell with a puppet inside. The puppet was wearing the shroud made by Tailor Jiang, so that the guests could see the effect directly.
Tailor Jiang slowly reached out his hand and pulled off the white paper on the puppet's face. The puppet suddenly sat up, revealing a face covered with oil paint! The face was only a finger away from Tailor Jiang, and it looked like it was crying but also like it was laughing. Tailor Jiang could no longer suppress his fear and screamed.
The lights were dim and the surroundings were silent. Tailor Jiang fell off his chair and his thigh hurt. It turned out that he was dreaming. He sat on the ground for a long time: he saw clearly in his dream that it was the face of an actor!
Midnight Lady
Tailor Jiang closed the shop and went to the backyard. He cut two taels of pork liver, warmed a pot of wine, and drank by himself. He drank until 10 o'clock, and then Tailor Jiang went to bed. He turned off the lights, turned sideways to the wall, and was about to close his eyes when he suddenly saw two moon-white sleeves extending from the wall and suddenly wrapped around his neck.
Tailor Jiang was so frightened that he struggled desperately, but the sleeves were getting tighter and tighter, and he almost suffocated. He suddenly turned on the light, sat up panting, and touched his neck, feeling a burning pain.
Tailor Jiang looked at the wall carefully, but there was nothing there, so he turned off the light and closed his eyes. After an unknown amount of time, he heard the sound of gongs and drums. Gradually, the sound of gongs and drums became louder and louder, and a woman came onto the stage with a long voice.
Tailor Jiang opened his eyes and found himself on the stage without knowing when. A female lead was singing "The Palace of Eternal Life" with the erhu, and Yang Guifei hanged herself at Mawei Slope, her voice full of tears.
Tailor Jiang didn't like to listen to operas, and he couldn't listen to such a tragic play. He stood up to leave, but saw the actress staring at him with cold eyes. Tailor Jiang shivered and hurried out. At this moment, the two lackeys on the stage seemed to have received an order and walked straight towards Tailor Jiang. Tailor Jiang didn't run a few steps before he was firmly grasped by the two men and taken to the stage. The actress pointed at him and sang something. Then, someone tied him up, put a seal on his mouth, inserted a death card behind his back, and escorted him to the execution ground!
A flash of cold light appeared, and the ghost-head knife fell…
Tailor Jiang was terrified to the extreme. He woke up from the nightmare with a loud cry and a chill on his back. He had been having nightmares for the past few days, and today's nightmare was particularly clear. He thought carefully and the stage seemed to be the kind often used in the Song Village Temple Fair. He took the calendar and flipped through it. Tailor Jiang was shocked. The annual Song Village Temple Fair was here again!
After dawn, Tailor Jiang had breakfast, locked the shop door, and took the bus to Song Village. The Song Village Temple Fair has a history of hundreds of years, starting from the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month every year and lasting until the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month. During the temple fair, acrobatic troupes and opera troupes are invited to perform. This year, Song Village is going to hold a tourism festival. The stage is bigger and more grand than in previous years, and it will be performed from 10 am to 8 pm every day. The excerpts are performed continuously, which makes old opera fans indulge in their opera addiction.
Tailor Jiang entered the temple fair and headed straight for the stage. The open-air pavilion could accommodate thousands of people. Because he arrived early, he sat in the front row. There was a high platform on the left, with tables and chairs already set up, and a low table with tea saucers. Tailor Jiang knew that it was the "special seat" for successive village directors. Song Village is a village in the city, with deep-rooted traditions, and the village director is extremely authoritative.
The gongs and drums started beating, the curtain opened, and the song was "The Palace of Eternal Life". The first act was "Engagement", with Emperor Minghuang sitting in the center, and Concubine Yang, escorted by the two concubines, slowly coming onto the stage. "Love came down from heaven, and after bathing, she put on her makeup and walked towards the colorful banner. The six concubines were sad for not seeing each other, and stood at the golden gate to peek…"
Tailor Jiang looked up in amazement. The Hua Dan's eyes flickered, and her manners, demeanor, and appearance were exactly the same as what he saw in his dream!
Yang Guifei sang "Yiyi Yaya", and the more Tailor Jiang listened, the colder he felt: the sad tone was the same as in the dream! Moreover, Yang Guifei's eyes seemed to be searching among the crowd, her eyes were full of grief and anger. Tailor Jiang suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, he couldn't stand it anymore, and squeezed out of the crowd and came to the outside of the theater.
After smoking several cigarettes in a row, Tailor Jiang couldn't figure it out. Was he just being overly sensitive or did the actor recognize him? Even if he did, how could the actor enter his dream? Besides, he didn't remember whether he had ever offended the actor.
At this time, two old opera fans who came out to relieve themselves passed by Tailor Jiang and said as they walked, "This Xiaoju sings well, but she is not as good as Daju. Daju's tone is more pleasant to listen to than Xiaoju's. Oh, that voice, there is no comparison!"
"What a pity, from now on I can only listen to Xiaoju singing. I heard that Daju died of exhaustion. At the temple fair last year, she sang for three days and three nights!"
"I heard people say that Daju didn't die a good death."
"Don't talk nonsense! How can it not be a good death?"
"You don't believe it? If it was a good death, how come more than one person heard the big chrysanthemum singing in the sky at night?"
"That's true. Such a beautiful girl, Ju, sang the song 'The Palace of Eternal Life' to perfection… Beauty is short-lived! Beauty is short-lived!"
Eyes in the Fire
At noon, Tailor Jiang was hungry, so he found a snack stand near the stage and ate some fried cakes. As he ate, he thought: In previous years, Daju performed, but I heard that Daju was dead. Could it be that it was Daju who appeared in his dream? Just as he was thinking, he saw Li Long swaggering over, holding a big dog in his hand.
Li Long picked up two oil cakes from the stall and fed them directly into the dog's mouth. The boss dared not say anything, and waited until Li Long was far away before he scolded an old customer: "This Li Long has become the village director's watchdog, and his whole family has become watchdogs! I met his father yesterday, and the old man raised his head to the sky, ugh!"
Tailor Jiang was stunned and asked, "Is Li Long's father still alive?" The boss looked him over and said in a long voice, "He is not only alive, but also living a comfortable life."
Tailor Jiang was secretly surprised: So, the shroud was not made for Li Long's father, then who was it for?
Xiaoju's performance finally ended. Tailor Jiang had been waiting at the backstage door for almost another hour before Xiaoju took off her makeup and slipped out the back door.
Tailor Jiang saw that she looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old and seemed to be going to the temple fair. He hurriedly followed her and called Xiaoju from behind.
Xiaoju looked at Tailor Jiang suspiciously. Tailor Jiang whispered, "It's been almost a year since your sister died, right? I dreamed about her yesterday."
"You dreamed of her?" Xiaoju was surprised.
"Yes, I dreamed of her. She died a miserable death." Tailor Jiang wanted to trick Xiaoju, who seemed to be ignorant of the world.
Xiaoju was fooled, her eyes turned red, and after a while she whispered, "Everyone says my sister died of exhaustion, but I know that's not the case. Although she is not my biological sister, she is closer to me than my biological sister. She and I were both adopted by the troupe owner, and we learned to sing opera together since we were young. She protected me everywhere." After she finished speaking, tears fell like beads from a broken string.
Tailor Jiang was about to ask again, but Xiaoju seemed to realize that she had said too much and turned and ran away.
Tailor Jiang stood there blankly: Daju didn't die of exhaustion? Then how did she die? Was she wronged? That's why she often performed operas in the sky above Song Village? But what does her death have to do with me? Why did I dream of being escorted to the execution ground? Thinking of this, he broke out in a cold sweat.
At night, in order to get more information, Tailor Jiang stayed in a small hotel in Song Village. Lying on the bed, his mind was like a mess, and he couldn't sort it out. After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly heard a commotion outside and the sound of footsteps.
Tailor Jiang was a slow walker and it took him a long time to get up and go out. To his surprise, the stage in the distance was ablaze. People were carrying buckets and basins and running to put out the fire. Someone called the fire department, but the small streets of the temple fair were so narrow that even motorcycles could not pass. The fire truck was anxiously waiting a few hundred meters away, unable to get close.
The fire burned for most of the night. After daybreak, the guests of the inn returned one after another. Someone with good information said that the fire was caused by aging electrical wires. It was a coincidence that the pillars of the stage fell down and hit the village director's "special seat", killing him on the spot. In addition, the troupe owner was worried about the costumes and ran into the fire to move the prop box, and was also burned half to death. However, at least he was saved.
"This fire is so bizarre!"
"Yes, the fire seems to have eyes. Why doesn't it burn those extras?"
"Tell me, whose eyes are in the fire?"
"It cannot be said! It cannot be said!"
Silence at the Execution Ground
It was already noon when he returned home from Song Village. Tailor Jiang took a long nap and slept until dark. After eating, he picked up a shroud and started sewing it. This shroud was also custom-made, and someone would come to pick it up in two days.
It was already early morning when the shroud was finished. Tailor Jiang could vaguely hear the sound of gongs and drums from the stage, which became more urgent and louder. He was stunned, looking at the light and the clothes in his hands. This was not a dream!
The sound of gongs and drums became more and more real. He couldn't help but stand up and follow the sound. When he walked to the outer room where various funeral clothes were hung, Tailor Jiang seemed to be nailed to the ground. He saw that the paper coffin in the corner was opened. Is there a saying about ghosts in the world ? A Huadan who looked exactly like Xiaoju stood up slowly.
The funeral clothing store was like a stage for a female lead. She walked while swinging her sleeves, and her singing was clearly audible. It was still the tune of "The Palace of Eternal Life", but the text was very different. Tailor Jiang was so scared that his hair stood on end. He instinctively wanted to run, but found that his feet were nailed to the ground and could not move at all.
Hua Dan was getting closer and closer to Tailor Jiang, and the opera script drilled into his ears word for word: "Da Ju's life is more miserable than coptis chinensis. She lost her parents at the age of seven and became an orphan. She followed the troupe owner. She learned opera for thirteen years. Who can understand the hardship? At the Song Village Temple Fair, Da Ju sang for three days and nights, but she didn't expect to encounter vicious wolves and tigers. The village director compared himself to Emperor Minghuang of Tang and wanted to defile Da Ju. Da Ju lied and tried to escape, all the way to the funeral clothing store. Later, when the villains chased her, Da Ju hid in a paper coffin to escape, her heart pounding. Unexpectedly, she met a cruel shopkeeper. Just for a reward of 500 yuan, he opened the paper coffin and betrayed Da Ju. From then on, Da Ju was pushed into the tiger's den and led to the dark road. Da Ju was raped, her hands and feet were chained, and she couldn't bear the pain. She cried every day, cursed the thieves, and cursed her body to be left on the street and rotten! The village director was ashamed and angry, and poor Da Ju was strangled to death, and her soul returned to the underworld…"
When Daju sang this, it was like thunder in Tailor Jiang's head: the one who hid in his paper coffin in a panic a year ago was actually the actress Daju? At that time, she rushed into the funeral clothing store with disheveled hair, signaled Tailor Jiang to keep quiet, and then dived into the paper coffin. A few minutes later, a few gangsters came in to look for someone. Tailor Jiang was timid and thought it was the bought wife who wanted to escape. Hearing that there was a reward, he pointed to the paper coffin… With the 500 yuan hush money, he bought himself two pieces of high-quality funeral clothing.
Now, Tailor Jiang finally understood why he had nightmares.
At this time, Daju had changed out of her costume and was wearing a tortoise's shroud! At this moment, two henchmen came over and tied up Tailor Jiang.
Tailor Jiang stared at the shroud and finally understood: Li Long was instructed by the village director to use the shroud to calm Daju's ghost wandering around Song Village. However, it didn't work, and Daju came back to seek revenge…
I don't know when it started to rain. It was already early morning, and someone on the roadside turned on the radio and played "The Palace of Eternal Life".
A customer came to the funeral clothing store in the rain and shouted for a long time, but he couldn't find Jiang the tailor. He walked into the house and saw the lid of the paper coffin in the corner was opened. So he looked inside and saw that Jiang the tailor was lying straight inside, his body was already cold. Strangely, there was a big ghost banknote stuck to his mouth. Upon closer inspection, the face value was 500 yuan.