"Grandpa, why are you out so late?”Yang Guo took the torch from Grandfather Li's hand and lit it up for the two of them.
"I received your letter earlier. Grandma Song thought you would be back by now. She was worried that you would be scared when you went to work, so she asked me to come out and pick you up.”Grandpa Li was old, but he still spoke with a strong voice, with the enthusiasm unique to mountain people.
Yang Guo blinked her sore eyes. She knew that Grandma Song was afraid that she would be sad when she crossed the hill. On a snowy night, Yang Guo's grandmother stayed beside the pine and cypress tree on the hill. She looked at the village at the foot of the mountain, but she never came back.
"How is Grandma Song?" Yang Guo sniffed.
"Your Grandma Song had an infection before the New Year. Later, she used the old method left behind by your grandmother to go to the mountains to pick herbs and cure herself. It's just that the weather is cold now. I'm afraid she'll catch a cold again, so I don't allow her to come out.”When talking about Grandma Song, Grandpa Li's face was always gentle, and even his voice softened a little.
At the mention of the cold, Yang Guo was stunned for a moment and asked,"Is it the flu in October?”
Grandpa Li nodded. Yes, that was the time.
"Sigh, the world is going to be chaotic!" Grandpa Li shook his head." The temple on Ancestral Dragon Mountain had a tremor not long ago. The rankings of the ancestors were reversed. The eternal lamp that was worshipped was also extinguished. Your Grandma Song and I had to practice for three days before we could re-light the eternal lamp.”
Yang Guo pursed her lips, but in the end, she didn't tell Grandpa Li about what had happened to her recently. She didn't want them to worry about her anymore.
"Little Guo, you're finally back!”In front of a bamboo building, a Miao old lady with silver ornaments was leaning against the window and waving to Yang Guo. Her smile was very kind, and there was still innocence in her eyes.
"His grandma told you not to open the door, so why did you open the window? Quick, close it!" Grandpa Li anxiously instructed Grandma Song to close the window, afraid that the wind would blow and she would fall sick again.
Grandma Song pouted and complained,""I'm not made of porcelain. What are you nervous about?”Even though she said that, she obediently closed the window.
Yang Guo looked at the two clowns and smiled. Grandma Song was happy, unlike her grandmother, who had fled in her early years and lost her husband and only son.
"Hey, who is this pretty little doll?”Grandma Song sized up Wang Xiao, who was standing behind Yang Guo.
He's my younger brother, Wang Xiao." Yang Guo led the child to identify people. The child was also very polite and greeted the two elders obediently.
"You're so obedient. You look so beautiful. You look so much like your father when he was young.”The more Grandma Song looked at Wang Xiao, the more she liked him.
"After walking for so long, the children are hungry. Is the meal I asked you to cook tonight ready?" Grandpa Li grabbed Grandma Song's hand and asked.
"I've already made it. I was afraid that it would get cold when you came back, so I used a steamer to heat it up over the fire.”Grandma Song didn't care about Wang Xiao's milk fat anymore and quickly went into the kitchen to serve the food.
The food of the ethnic minorities were all practical. Other than large pieces of meat, there were also delicacies from the mountains.
Wang Xiao loved mushrooms the most. He almost finished the entire bowl of mushroom stir-fried meat.
" Eat slowly." Grandma Song lovingly put some food into Wang Xiao's bowl." I still remember when your sister was young, she followed your grandmother and me to the forest to pick mushrooms. Your sister likes pretty mushrooms, so she'll pick whichever one looks good. In the end, he picked up a basket of useless poisonous mushrooms. Every time, your grandmother has to pick it up again.”
Wang Xiao took a bite of the mushroom in his mouth and glanced at Yang Guo with disdain in his eyes. So you've been lecherous since you were young!
Yang Guo glared at the child and placed a piece of rabbit meat into his bowl." Eat meat."”
"Yes, eat more meat. When you were young, you loved to chase rabbits behind Rhubarb. This time, the rabbit meat was brought back by Rhubarb's son from the mountain.”Grandpa Li gave Yang Guo and Wang Xiao a large piece of rabbit meat.
"Where's Big Yellow?" Yang Guo glanced at the few dogs sitting on the ground, but she didn't see any familiar figures.
"Big Yellow entered the mountains last year and stepped on a trap placed by an outsider.”Speaking of Big Yellow, who had accompanied him for many years, Grandpa Li's mood was obviously down.
"Big Yellow usually patrols Ancestral Dragon Mountain. How did it step on a trap?”The village was located in a remote area, and outsiders rarely came in, not to mention that they were setting traps on the Ancestral Dragon Mountain where the Yao Temple was located.
Grandpa Li sighed." The previous clansmen have moved out. They betrayed the gods of their clansmen, and their descendants have no respect for them. Some young people brought outsiders to explore the village for fun. Those traps were placed in the mountains to catch wild animals.”
Hearing this, Grandma Song also sighed. She and her husband were the last remaining members of the Yao tribe, and also the last descendants of the Ghost Witch tribe. Yang Guo's grandmother had already cut off the inheritance of the Medical Wizard generation. Now that the temple in the clan had repeatedly issued warnings, they were probably dissatisfied with them. If the Yao God really abandoned them one day, then the Sorcerer Tribe would be finished.
It was already very late after dinner. There was no electricity in the village, and the lighting was still using kerosene lamps. In addition, they had been rushing for a whole day. They were really too tired. Yang Guo was afraid that the child wouldn't be able to hold on, so she agreed to rest at Grandfather Li's house for the night and return to the old house tomorrow.
The village was very quiet at night. The sound of snow falling could be heard outside. The sleet had turned into soft cotton snow. They were carried by the wind and drifted in the forest like ghosts.
Yang Guo tucked Wang Xiao in, opened her eyes, and listened to the sound of the wind and snow outside the window. Mrs. Song was afraid that they would wake up late at night, so the candle on the table was still lit. The flickering candlelight crackled in the night. Yang Guo's eyes were hazy, and her thoughts seemed to have returned to the winter night three years ago.
The winter that year was very cold. It was not even December yet, and it was snowing heavily on the mountain. Many people fell sick that year. There was a child in Yangjiaping who had a fever for several days, but he didn't get better even after taking medicine. The other party's family begged Yang Guo's grandmother to exorcise the evil in the evening. In fact, although Grandma Yang Guo was a witch, she did not know how to exorcise evil spirits. She inherited the Medical Magus lineage and was better at treating people. However, because her lineage needed some strange Gu worms to treat people, she was not good at it. Therefore, those people were still afraid of her.
The 97-year-old Grandma Yang Guo finally braved the wind and snow under the family's prayers. The child in that family was not sick, but he had eaten a poisonous fruit on the mountain. This kind of poisonous fruit was very rare. When the poison took effect, one would feel nauseous, vomit, and have a high fever. In the end, one would often die of dehydration. Grandma Yang Guo used Gu worms and herbs to save the child in the middle of the night.
The family was afraid that their grandmother would not stay overnight. They allowed the 97-year-old woman to rush home in the middle of the night, braving the snow and wind. They did not even say that they would send her home.
The wind and snow were very fast, and the sound of whimpering against the glass windows sounded like someone crying. The 13-year-old Yang Guo leaned against the window and looked at the distant hill, as if she wanted to see the light of returning home as usual. The wick of the kerosene lamp on the table had been picked three times, and the weak flame made Yang Guo's thin figure very long.
Suddenly, Yang Guo's heart palpitated for no reason, and a line of tears fell. Yang Guo skipped the uneasiness in her heart and quickly put on her coat. She braved the wind and snow and knocked on Grandfather Li's door.
When Grandfather Li opened the door, he saw Yang Guo sobbing. Her body trembled as she stuttered,"Li, Grandpa Li, I'm worried about my grandmother. I want to go find her.”
"Your grandma isn't back yet?" Grandpa Li looked at the sky and asked curiously.
"No, Grandfather Li, I feel very uneasy. Can you accompany me to look for it? He didn't need to go too far. He just needed to reach the pine and cypress tree. I can wait there alone.”Yang Guo tried to wipe her tears away, but her tears just kept falling.
As a Ghost Witch, Grandpa Li trusted the connection between family members. He frowned and said,"Little Guo, I'm afraid your grandmother isn't doing well." I'll call a few people from the village to go find your grandmother with me.”
"Thank you, thank you, Grandpa Li." She was crying so hard that her voice was trembling.
Unfortunately, the people in the village did not care about the life and death of a wizard at all. To them, witchcraft was a cancer that should have disappeared from society a long time ago. Usually, they had no choice but to seek treatment from the shaman. Now, the government wanted to support them and move their entire village away. In the future, he naturally wouldn't need to ask for help from a witch doctor.
"Father, brothers, please open the door and help. Little Guo is kneeling down for you." Yang Guo knelt in the snow and kowtowed to everyone.
However, these people seemed to be asleep and did not respond at all. Even the few houses that had their lights on quickly turned off the lights and pretended not to hear anything. Yang Guo's thin figure knelt in the snow, like a young bird that had lost its shelter and was crying blood.
Father Li cursed,"You bastard, you're inhumane." She turned around and ran home. She took out the things that she had not used for many years from the box and led Rhubarb out.
"Little Guo, let's go. There's no need to beg these heartless people.”Father Li helped Yang Guo, whose forehead was red and swollen, walk forward with a torch. Yang Guo held Big Yellow's hand and stumbled behind him.
The mountain road was very slippery, and the road near the pond had already frozen. Yang Guo fell several times while holding Big Yellow's hand. Ignoring the pain, she got up and continued walking.
The bamboo forest outside the village was covered by the heavy snow, blocking the middle of the road. One had to bend over to get through. Yang Guo lowered her head and bent her waist. Father Li, who was holding a torch, shuttled through the bamboo tunnel bit by bit. The snow on his head fell from the bamboo and onto his neck, immediately soaking his collar.
Rhubarb shook off the snow on its body and suddenly barked at the hill in front of it. Yang Guo was stunned for a moment, then immediately ran forward.
"Grandma!"
A figure was leaning against a pine tree on the hill. Her thin body was curled up under the tree without moving. Her eyes were staring straight at the village at the foot of the mountain, as if she was waiting for someone. The extinguished torch fell to the ground not far away. Beside it was a medicine box that she often used.
"Grandma?" Yang Guo looked at this familiar face in disbelief. She closed her eyes and refused to believe what she saw. Tears fell uncontrollably.
Big Yellow leaned against Yang Guo's leg and wailed.
Grandpa Li sighed. He didn't expect that he would have to use this thing in the end. Grandpa Li patted Yang Guo's head and took out the yellow talisman and bell wrapped in red cloth." Little Guo, it's cold outside. Let's ask your grandmother to go home early."”
Yang Guo slowly opened her eyes and looked at the bruised corpse. She nodded." Grandma, it's cold outside. Guo 'er will take you home."”
In the middle of the night, the sound of a bell suddenly rang out in the forest. If one listened carefully, one could hear the corpse transporter's drawl."Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Soul-drawing Bell ~"
The corpse with yellow talismans on the mountain road followed the sound of the bell as she walked forward stiffly. In front of her was a thin figure. Yang Guo took a chopper and cleared the dead branches and bamboo in the middle of the road bit by bit. Blood fell to the ground, like a Paramita flower on the path of three lives.
Grandma's life was already very bumpy, Yang Guo didn't want Grandma's final road home to be so bumpy.
"Yang Guo, sleepyhead, it's time to wake up.”In the morning, Wang Xiao would push the person beside him when he woke up. He really didn't know what was wrong with this woman. She was crying even when she was sleeping. She didn't know what she was dreaming about.
Yang Guo blinked her red and swollen eyes and squinted at Wang Xiao, who was already dressed.
"Where did you get this dress?”Yang Guo pointed at the child's unique Yao costume.
"Grandma Song gave it to me.”The child spun around proudly. Grandma Song had specially found these clothes last night. They were the clothes that Grandma Song's youngest son had worn when he was young. Now, Grandma Song's sons were all out of town and didn't have time to come back for the New Year. Grandma Song and the others didn't want to go over, so they rarely saw each other.
"My Pin 'er looks good in anything.”Yang Guo pinched the child's tender face." Wait for me to get dressed." After breakfast, we went to clean up our own house.”
"Alright, I'll do it. These are the clothes that Grandma Song prepared for you. You can put it on later." Wang Xiao pointed at the Yao costume beside the bed.
Grandma Song was originally a good hand at making Yao costumes. In the past few years, even if Yang Guo went out, Grandma Song would prepare a few sets of Yao costumes for her every year.
Perhaps it was because it snowed last night, the weather today was unusually good. The sun rose from behind the Ancestral Dragon Mountain, giving the small village a warm golden edge.
After breakfast, Li's father brought some tools and prepared to repair the house with Yang Guo. The village was located in the hinterland of the valley. It was humid all year round, and the houses made of bamboo were easily damp.
The snow immediately covered his ankles when he stepped on the ground. Wang Xiao looked at the white snow and was having fun everywhere.
"Yang Guo, the snow is so beautiful." Wang Xiao kicked the tree and immediately ran away with his head in his hands. The snowflakes on the trees fell down like the jade trees in fairy tales.
Yang Guo didn't reprimand him, only said: "Be careful not to step on puddles and wet your shoes."”
"Haha, this child is very tough." Grandpa Li smoked his pipe and smiled at the playful Wang Xiao.
"Pin 'er, his parents died when he was five years old.”Yang Guo looked at the child with a gentle expression." I'm very grateful to Wang Bolin for giving birth to him. He's the only family I have in this world.”
Wang Xiao, who was playing around, felt something and turned his head to show a sweet smile to Yang Guo.
Not far away, there was a sudden burst of laughter. Yang Guo could hear a boy shouting loudly, Followers, 666. The foreign girl and Cannon started walking.
"Who is it?" Yang Guo frowned as she listened to the other party's noisy voice. Wang Xiao also stopped, frowning as he ran to Yang Guo.
"Ignore them. It was a kid from Yangjiaping next door. He had brought a few foreign women here to take a video.”Grandpa Li took Yang Guo and the others to take a detour, obviously not intending to meet them.
"Yang Jiaping? The villagers still dare to come?" Yang Guo frowned.
"Hmph, what can't those thick-skinned people do? When your grandmother died, didn't someone come to their house and kowtow at the door before leaving? He didn't even have the courage to go in and take a look. They are a bunch of cowards!" Grandpa Li was furious when he thought about what happened back then.
Yang Guo gripped the chopper in her hand tightly and didn't make a sound.
The frolicking next door grew louder and louder, mixed with the fake screams of foreign women.
When the villagers moved away, many bamboo houses were left empty. After years of exposure to the elements, most of the houses now looked dilapidated. Some of the houses were half-collapsed, and thick bamboos pierced through the collapsed roofs. There were also some vines that twisted like snakes from the ground and crawled into the window, covering the entire room.
Yang Guo's bamboo house was located upstream of the river, closest to Ancestral Dragon Mountain. With Grandpa Li and the others taking care of the house, they only needed to rest on the snow-covered roof and yard, and clean the room.
Yang Guo looked at the familiar courtyard and felt sad for a moment. Back then, her grandmother was in this courtyard. She taught her to speak, walk, and read bit by bit. This small courtyard contained too much of her life's joy.
"Little Guo 'er, pack up." Grandfather Li rubbed Yang Guo's hair and picked up the ladder, ready to sweep the snow off the roof.
"Grandpa Li, let me do it." Yang Guo handed the keys in her hand to Wang Xiao." You and Grandpa Li clean the yard, and then use the wormwood hanging on the kitchen roof to smoke the house."”
"I'll help you hold the stairs. Grandpa Li, go sweep the yard.”Wang Xiao didn't take the key. The ground was too slippery in winter, and he was afraid that Yang Guo would fall.
Grandpa Li looked at the siblings and smiled as he took the keys." I'll let you kids do the climbing." This old man should just sweep the floor.”
Yang Guo couldn't persuade Wang Xiao, so she could only hold the bamboo pole and carefully climb up the bamboo ladder with the help of the child. The bamboo ladder was quite old, and one could still hear the creaking sound when they stepped on it. Yang Guo used her bamboo pole to knock down the icicles under the eaves, and then used a bucket to remove the thick snow from the roof. The snow fell to the ground, making muffled thuds. In the courtyard, Grandpa Li had already lit up the wormwood in various parts of the house. The special smoke from the wormwood made Wang Xiao's nose a little uncomfortable. His round eyes were red from the smoke, but he still looked up at Yang Guo on the ladder without blinking.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]