Delicious Delicacy of the Demon Spirit

The rain washed away everything, hit Li Kuer's paper umbrella, fell, and slowly seeped into the loess under her feet.She wiped her tears, her sleeves were wet, and the three members of the Liu family around her didn't want to disturb them, silently arranging sacrifices.

After crying, Li Kuer sniffed her nose feeling ashamed, knelt down and poured wine for the ancestors again.Uncle Liu walked over with a wine glass, turned his wrist, and spilled a glass of water and wine on the ground, saying: "Brother Li, we haven't had a drink together for a long time, this glass is for you. You and your sister-in-law put it down for a while." With a hundred hearts, Kuer is sensible and capable, and our old Liu family will take good care of her so that no one will bully her. You, when you are bored on weekdays, you can play chess with my old man down here. When the old man is alive, you are the only one. Can be an opponent..."

Uncle Liu said a lot, and Li Kuer couldn't help crying when he heard it.She knew she shouldn't cry, and told her parents that she lived a strong and brave life, but how could she restrain herself in this kind of thing?

Next to her, Aunt Liu started burning paper, and called Uncle Liu to pay her respects. Li Kuer wiped away her tears and started burning paper too.According to the old customs, burning paper is also particular.First draw a circle on the ground, pile the paper and silver ingots in the circle, and leave a gap in the northwest corner so that the relatives below can come in and get it.Before burning, you have to order a few paper and silver ingots and put them outside the circle, right to answer those lonely ghosts who have no relatives to send money.

The fire was burning very well, and even though it was raining, Li Kuer muttered in his mouth while worshiping: "Father, mother, ancestors, Kuer sent you ingots. You should eat them and use them well below. Don't worry, Ku'er will come to give you Yuanbao next time..."

The four of them waited until the paper and silver ingots were completely burned to ashes before they packed up their things and took the bullock cart home.It was already afternoon when I got home.Li Ku'er reckoned that the palace's lunch would be late, and it happened that Aunt Liu also invited her to have lunch together, so she didn't go to the palace.

It is fish and meat, and the dishes are all served before. After returning to the pot, although they have lost their original freshness, because they have been eaten by the ancestors, they have left their blessings, and they are rarely bought on weekdays. Things, so eat it and cherish it.After the meal, Li Ku'er and Aunt Liu washed the dishes together, then put on the coir raincoat and bamboo hat and went to work in the fields.The celery and radish are growing very well, and they are still small seedlings, but they are also considered strong seedlings. Li Kuer can almost imagine their appearance when they are mature and harvested, and they have more strength to work.

In the afternoon, the rain gradually stopped.Li Kuer straightened up and looked at the sky, it was almost time.After returning home, he took off his coir raincoat, put on a paper umbrella, and went to work in Prince Qiao's mansion.The ground is wet, and the dust is gone. It is convenient to just sweep away the leaves that have been knocked down by the rain on the road.

During the period, passing by two maids waiting in the front yard, who were talking about something, Li Kuer overheard it, and then realized that the prince and the three princesses went to the temple to burn incense and eat fast in the afternoon, and they would spend the night there, and they would not be back until noon tomorrow.Li Ku'er thought about it, the prince and the others went to the temple, why didn't they be all right?Thinking of this, he took a big broom and scratched the ground twice, then went to He Weiran's house to find someone.

Sure enough, He Weiran was in her room with the door open, and she was sitting at the door reading a book by the sunlight.Li Ku'er felt that she was like a scholar, a talented woman, quiet, knowledgeable, noble and dignified.Looking at myself again, in order to save some wax money, I haven't read a book for a long time.

"Bitter is here." Seeing her, He Weiran closed the book and waved to her.Li Kuer ran over with a smile, and asked as he ran, "Sister He, what book are you reading again?"

"It's still the same book." He Weiran frowned and said, "Is the work done?"

Li Kuer nodded.

"Today's visit to the grave went well, right?"

Li Kuer nodded again.

He Weiran stood up and said to her: "Follow me in, I have something to give you."

"Give me something?" Li Kuer was so embarrassed that she didn't know how to answer the conversation naturally.Following the other party into the room, he saw He Weiran leaning over and digging through the dresser drawers. After searching for a long time, he finally found some red strings.

Seeing that it was not something valuable, Li Kuer breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "What did Sister He give me the rope for?"

"I learned a method of weaving a bracelet from a book earlier. It is very beautiful, but it is not suitable for me to wear a bracelet at this age. I have never had a chance to weave it. I want to weave one for you while I am free today. Just don't dislike my sister, I'm clumsy."

"Ah? Really? How could I dislike it? It's too late to like it. No matter what kind of bracelet Sister He makes, I like it." Li Kuer was delighted, and quickly stretched out her wrist to compare with her.

He Weiran wrapped the red rope around Li Kuer's hands again and again, knowing what she knew, so she asked her to sit beside her and have a cup of tea and some snacks, while she sat at the door and knit the rope.

Li Ku'er couldn't stay idle, so she went over to watch her make up with a teacup in hand.She weaved it very meticulously, with extremely complicated techniques, which dazzled people.Looking at He Weiran's face again, I realized that her mouth was opening and closing, and she was mumbling something, and she didn't make a sound.Li Ku'er frowned, but didn't dare to interrupt, just watched her hands fly, and weaved half of it delicately, and took out a lovely copper bell from her waist, and wove it in together.

"Come on, hold out your hand."

Li Ku'er rolled up her sleeves and stretched out her hand, He Weiran closed her wrist.

"Okay, do you like it?"

"I like it." With bright eyes, Li Kuer shook his wrist, and then shook his wrist again: "Huh? Why doesn't the bell ring? Is it broken?"

He Weiran smiled and said: "Of course it's not bad, you just remember to wear it all the time."

Li Ku'er didn't quite understand, she obviously couldn't ring, but said it wasn't broken, where in the world is there a bell that doesn't ring?

The two went to the back kitchen to have some casual dinner, then packed up some things, and asked the housekeeper to prepare the horse, and went to Inagawa.

The sun was dimming, and the air was getting colder.Sitting on the horse, He Weiran pulled the reins and held Li Kuer in his arms.Li Ku'er didn't wear much, but she didn't feel cold.

I came to Inagawa again, in front of the mountain where the yam was picked last time.Once here, the strange cold air made Li Kuer feel very uncomfortable.She recalled that day when Axu called behind her: "Sister Ku'er, save me, save me, it's coming again, it won't let me go." What does that "it" refer to?I don't know, but it seems to be a very scary thing.

It was very dark and very scary, He Weiran took out a folded lantern from the bag, set it up, and lit it with a cotton wick.The light of the lantern melted the darkness, and Li Kuer moved closer to He Weiran, as if this would give him a sense of security.

They found a big stone, sat opposite each other, and placed the lantern in the middle. Li Kuer felt that they were plotting something important. It was mysterious, very atmospheric, and very interesting.

"Can you fold river lanterns?" He Weiran looked at Li Kuer, with the light of lanterns in his eyes, which was charming.

Li Kuer scratched his head and said honestly, "No, I never let the river lantern go."

"It doesn't matter, just follow me to fold it." She said, took out a small tube of cotton thread and a lot of red and green wax paper, looked closely under the light, and found fine golden lines on the wax paper, which meant nothing.She counted out ten red stencils, and then five green stencils, and Li Kuer followed her to take the papers, thinking that folding a river lantern would really take paper.

"The river lantern is actually a lotus lantern. The petals are made of red paper, and the receptacle is made of green paper. An inch of red candle is erected in the middle, and the name of the dead is pasted on it. The dead soul in the river sees the river lantern with his name on it. , then you can cling to it, go with the waves to the underworld, reincarnate in samsara, and escape from the suffering of wandering in the world.”

When Li Kuer heard this, he couldn't help feeling sad, and said in a low voice, "Ah Xu is so pitiful, he has been wandering here for nine years."

He Weiran sighed, and said: "Ah Xu is very pitiful, his life is worse than ordinary water ghosts."

"Worse than ordinary water ghosts? Ah Xu..."

Before Li Kuer could finish asking, He Weiran had already started origami, and cut off her question, "Come, take a snapshot of me and do it."

Ten sheets of red paper are bound with cotton thread, and folded into four layers of petals, each layer has five petals, a total of twenty petals. Five sheets of green paper are also bundled and folded to look like petals. One layer, ten petals, is the receptacle.Glue the petals and the receptacle together with candle oil, light candle oil in the center of the petals, and place candles to complete a stable river lantern.Li Ku'er was very dexterous, he did it the first time, and it looked good.He Weiran gave her a white note, took a cinnabar pen and asked her to write Axu's name.She took the pen and wrote Axu's name, pasted it on the candle, and looked at He Weiran again, she had already stood up holding the river lantern, and there was no sticker.

"Sister He, if you don't write your name on the river lantern, is it still useful?"

He Weiran nodded: "Of course it's also useful, but it's hard to say who is attached to it." Looking at the flowing river in front of her, she continued: "There are many water ghosts in the river, and no one in the world knows their identity. Names. If they want to be reborn, there are only three ways, one is to be saved by monks chanting sutras;

Li Kuer thought to himself, it turns out that it is true that the water ghosts are looking for a substitute for the dead ghosts, but they should not be allowed to harm others, so he said: "So that's the case, then let's put more river lanterns later."