Tried to trick me into raising a cat again

Early in the morning, before dawn, the village became lively.

The high platform has been set up, and the platform covered with red silk stands in the middle of the open space, revealing a strong sense of festiveness.

In front of the high platform, the tables, chairs and benches have been set up. Near the river, the villagers have built an earthen stove with a long chopping board next to the stove. The women of the village stand in a row and process the ingredients in an orderly manner.

Everyone's face is filled with joy.

The old village chief brought a few men beamingly and sent a set of clothes to Chu Zhou's house, and told them to pack up quickly.

Zhuang Meng smiled and agreed.

Zhang Renqiang held back his displeasure, and asked calmly, "Aunt Zhuang, what kind of celebration is this, why did you make Zhou Zhou wear wedding clothes?"

Zhuang Meng put the clothes on the table casually, showing a cold expression for the first time, "This is the sacrificial dress."

Zhang Ren restrained his emotions and asked, "What the hell are you doing?"

Zhuang Meng didn't answer her, but touched Chu Zhou very gently, with a melancholy tone, "Have you guessed it all?"

Chu Zhou's eyelashes trembled, and his voice sounded a little crying, "Yeah."

She smiled, and smoothed the broken hair around his cheeks with her cold fingers, "Don't be afraid, if Mom can send you out once, she can send you out a second time, and they can't hurt you."

Chu Zhou held her hand, "If you don't leave, I won't leave."

"What nonsense?" Zhuang Meng pulled out his hand, turned to Xie Qi with a smile, and said, "Sir, I'm ready outside. You and Zhou Zhou should stay in the back room and don't go out. If there is an accident, I will trouble you more." Take care."

"No matter what happens, don't go out," she patted Chu Zhou's head and emphasized again, "I arranged... people to protect you, they are good children, don't be afraid, after that Today, I can go back."

After speaking, Zhuang Meng took the sacrificial robe and turned back to the room.

"Mom!" Chu Zhou stood up and wanted to chase, but Zhang Ren held his shoulders. Obviously at this time, he also realized that Zhuang Meng was unusual.

Zhuang Meng finished changing her clothes in the room. She combed her hair and tied it into a hat. Her gentle eyebrows and eyes were outlined by makeup, and she put on specially padded shoes. She pursed her lips and said nothing. , was no different from Chu Zhou.

She opened the window and said softly to the outside, "Mother is gone, you should protect brother well."

"Understood, mother." A soft child's voice came from outside, and she walked out in peace.

Chu Zhou looked at Zhuang Meng who was walking slowly with red eyes.

Zhuang Meng smiled and pinched his nose, "How old are you, you still cry."

Chu Zhou hugged her and said, can't we leave together?

Zhuang Meng sighed deeply, and pushed him away from his arms, "Zhou Zhou, mom and this village have long been connected together. Mom can't leave, and neither can the people in the village."

From the time the village began to believe in the so-called gods, everything could not stop.

Zhuang Meng pushed away Chu Zhou's hand, straightened his back, and walked out slowly.

The outside gate closed automatically, as if to isolate them from the village.

The morning sun was just rising, casting sparkling light on the river, and the lively gongs and drums sounded. The goddess stood on the high platform wearing a toga and sleeves, "Please holy boy—"

The men beating gongs and drums followed Zhuang Meng and cheered enthusiastically.

With a calm expression on his face, Zhuang Meng walked up to the high platform slowly.

The sorceress held a bowl of water in her hand, and walked slowly around Zhuang Meng. As she walked, she sprinkled the water in the bowl on Zhuang Meng, chanting incomprehensible congratulations.

After burning a stick of incense in the incense burner, the sorceress stopped, raised her arms, and sang loudly: "Licheng, invite the child prodigy to enter the temple."

Zhuang Meng stood up according to his words, followed behind the witch, and walked slowly towards the only room facing north and south.

The villagers under the high platform cheered enthusiastically. The women carried the steaming hot dishes and shuttled around the banquet. The men smiled brightly and raised their glasses to each other, making crisp sounds.

Chu Zhou leaned on the window tightly, watching Zhuang Meng's red figure slowly walk into the cannibalistic room.

He stared blankly, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Zhang Ren stood behind him and patted him on the back lightly.

"Before...the child who entered that room never came out again..." Chu Zhou covered his eyes and said slowly.

"People in the village say that the gods have to choose holy children to serve. Every year, a boy is selected from the village and dedicated to the gods as a holy boy. The gods will bless the village with good weather and no disasters."

"My mother was afraid that I would be chosen, so she raised me as a girl since I was a child, but I didn't expect that when I was ten years old, the gods still chose me..."

Chu Zhou suppressed the choking in his throat, "At night, she secretly sent me out of the river in a wooden tub." So he grew up in an orphanage and different families, never mentioning his parents.

"You are..." Zhang Ren digested this piece of information with difficulty, concealed the turmoil in his heart, and slowly patted him on the back, "Aunt Zhuang will be fine."

Chu Zhou shook his head and did not speak. He had doubts about Zhuang Meng's abnormality for a long time, but he was just young and ignorant. It was not until he came back after growing up that he was sure that his mother was unusual.

However, in the face of these sincerely caring friends, he didn't know how to explain.

"Brother, don't cry." A pale face poked its head out of the window.

"Yes, don't be afraid, we promised mother that we will protect you." Another child's head popped out from the left, and said to Chu Zhou in a soft child's voice.

Chu Zhou choked up, staring at the two little heads that suddenly appeared by the window.

The expressions of the two children are very innocent, and their hair is neatly combed, but they can't hide their miserable faces and dark eyes.

——Obviously not an ordinary child.

And since they entered the village, they have never seen any children. Where did these strange looking children come from?

Seeing that Chu Zhou stared at him silently, the two children became timid. They glanced at each other and shrank under the window. The younger child whispered, "Did we scare brother?"

The older one pretended to press his head down, "Shh, don't talk, we hide below and brother won't be able to see us."

So the two furry little heads really shrank back.

other people:"……"

Among them, Chu Zhou, who had never seen a ghost, was probably the most surprised, "What was that just now?"

Qu Yanning and Zhang Ren said at the same time:

"Zongzi?"

"Just kids."

"..." Chu Zhou glanced at Zhang Ren and asked Qu Yanning, "Why do you say it's a zongzi?"

Qu Yanning glanced at Xie Qi in embarrassment, and said falteringly, "It's about the same size as the zongzi in TV dramas."

Chu Zhou was silent for a while and asked, "Do you know anything?"

Zhang Ren and Qu Yanning looked at each other, this time they said tacitly: "Just a little."

Chu Zhou turned his head to ignore them, patted the window, and asked, "Are you still there?"

The two little radish heads squatting under the window looked at me and I looked at you, and asked, "Is brother calling us?"

The older one nodded steadily and said, "Well, go up and have a look."

The younger one timidly climbed up the window, holding the window firmly with its sharp little claws, and asked embarrassedly with widened black eyes, "Brother, did you call me?"

Chu Zhou looked at his sharp little claws, tried his best to adjust his mentality, and asked warmly, "Why are you outside, did mother ask you to come?"

Little Luobo nodded, her blue face was round and chubby, and she could be found a bit cute when she looked carefully, "Mother asked us to protect brother, mother is going to beat the bad guys."

What he wanted was confirmed, Chu Zhou clenched his fingers, "Really?"

Little Luobo smiled, showing her sharp teeth, and said triumphantly, "Mother is amazing, bad guys can't beat her."

Chu Zhou forced a smile, with some worry on his face, but he still said in a gentle voice: "How many of you are there? Do you want to come in?"

The little luotou was taken aback for a moment, and stared at Chu Zhou with wide eyes. The big luotou, who was hiding below and eavesdropping, popped up, "Can you really come in?"

Chu Zhou smiled, seeing that these two children are cute after getting used to it, "Well, come in, don't stay outside."

The carrot heads cheered, and a strange whistle sounded outside the window, and then the door was opened, and a row of five little heads looked inside timidly through the crack of the door.

Chu Zhou twitched the corners of his mouth and said, let's all come in.

The five radish heads rushed in with a cheer. They rushed in front of Chu Zhou. Qiqi stopped in his tracks, looked up at him timidly, and called him brother.

If it weren't for the small fangs in the mouth, it would look like a scene full of warm family gatherings.

Chu Zhou tentatively reached out and touched their heads one by one. Except for the cold body temperature, they were no different from ordinary people.

His eyes darkened, and he started talking to the turnip heads.

Qu Yanning and the others were completely stunned standing by, and Chu Zhou's ability to accept was much better than they imagined.

While talking, the ground suddenly shook slightly. The oldest child stopped smiling and said, "It's started."

The five children stood guard in the corner of the room for a moment, watching the movement outside vigilantly.

Chu Zhou looked out in a daze, but saw that the originally bright sky was covered by thick dark clouds, and the village was gloomy, and even the red silk and satin couldn't hide the heavy twilight.

The still lively villagers stopped to celebrate in astonishment, and the sorceress in the temple ran out staggeringly, shouting that the holy boy was a fake, and the god was angry.

The old village chief stepped forward to support her and asked sharply.

The sorceress quickly told what happened in the temple. After the prodigy was sent to the temple, the sorceress began to invite the gods to come out. Who knew that the gods who had finally been invited were attacked by the holy boy as soon as they came out.

The sorcerer cursed loudly: "That's not a holy boy at all, it's Zhuang Meng! She's turned into a ghost!"

The old village chief shook his hands, cast his eyes on the two-story building of Chu Zhou's house, and said angrily: "How dare you provoke the gods, Zhuang Zhou must still be there, we have to find them to appease the gods."

With a wave of his hand, he loudly asked others to follow. The frantic villagers followed behind the village chief and walked towards the small building of Chu Zhou's house.

The five children bared their teeth and let out a low growl from their throats, looking warily at the approaching crowd.

Zhang Ren quickly locked all the doors and windows, looked at Xie Qi, "What should I do?"

Xie Qi twiddled the beads with his fingers, and saw that the crowd had already reached the door, and then he moved. He walked slowly around the base of the wall, and the little radish heads flinched when they saw him approaching, and tried their best to stand upright. The chest did not flinch.

Xie Qi untied the string of beads, took out four beads, and put one in a corner.

The radish heads grunted in pain, Xie Qi glanced at them indifferently, and pointed in the direction of Chu Zhou, "There's no need to guard, you go over there."

Carrot head looked at him hesitantly.

Seeing this, Chu Zhou quickly beckoned and let them go, and the little radish heads happily ran over.

The villagers gathered at the door. The village head pushed the door hard, but he didn't open it. He could only shout loudly: "Chu Zhou, your mother and son have angered the gods. Do you still want the whole village to be buried with you?"

No one in the room made a sound, and a few little radish heads showed their sharp canine teeth angrily. If it weren't for Chu Zhou's presence, they would have rushed up uncontrollably.

Seeing that they did not respond, the villagers outside waited for a while, and then began to slam on the door angrily. The vibration of the ground became more intense, and roars could even be heard in the distance.

The villagers outside were so anxious that their eyes turned red, and they went back one after another, took a sickle and a hoe, and began to smash on the door.

The Buddhist beads in the corner of the wall glowed faintly, and the fragile door panel stood motionless.

Chu Zhou endured it, but he still couldn't hold back and asked, "Even if you send me out today, who are you going to send next time?" There are no young people in the village, let alone newborns. , Who can I turn to next time to appease the wrath of the gods?

The villagers slammed on the door with red eyes and did not respond to his questioning at all.

Qu Yanning stood beside Xie Qi, his eyes fell on the wooden door, and the thick black air was pouring in through the crack of the door, he asked Xie Qi softly: "Are these villagers human or ghost?"

Xie Qi turned his face sideways, with a sarcastic smile on his lips, "Naturally it's a human." If it was a ghost, he wouldn't have waited until now.

Sometimes, crazy people are scarier than evil spirits.

Earthquakes came one after another, the roar outside the window became louder and louder, and the villagers were still pounding on the door persistently.

Time passed bit by bit, and I don't know how long it took before the earthquake subsided, the sky covered with dark clouds cleared up, and the villagers outside heard horrified shouts, and then dispersed like birds and beasts.

The radish heads cheered and rushed to open the door, and jumped on the person who came.

Zhuang Meng was covered in red clothes dripping with blood, but he touched their heads with a gentle expression, "It's all right."

Chu Zhou walked up to her, "Mom."

Zhuang Mengmeng touched his head, but found that the sharp nails had not been retracted. She looked at Chu Zhou with tender eyes and said, "It's all right."

Chu Zhou held her hand and said what about you, "Are you injured?"

Zhuang Meng smiled unnaturally, and wanted to put away her nails, but she fought too much and was injured again, so the sharp nails could only be exposed like this, showing her difference.

Chu Zhou supported her arm, helped her to sit down at the table, poured her a cup of hot water, and moved it away with some hesitation, "I don't know if you can drink this."

Zhuang Meng shook his head, took a sip of the water, and his dry throat got better.

Chu Zhou sat opposite her silently, "When did you become like this?"

Zhuang Meng looked a little dazed, as if recalling the past, "I wake up after giving birth to you, that's it."

25 years ago, shortly after she was pregnant with Chu Zhou, Chu Zhou's father passed away unexpectedly. People in the village thought she was unlucky, so they had less contact with her. There were no elders and relatives in the family, and she went through the most difficult few days alone. months.

Later, when she gave birth in the middle of the night, she was in so much pain that she gritted her teeth and went to find the midwife in the village. The midwife lived at the end of the village, and she lived at the head of the village. On the way, he endured the pain and gave birth to the child, but he lost consciousness.

When she woke up again, she found that she was different from others.

Fortunately, there were few people in the village who had contact with her. She carried the child back home and carefully raised the child, hiding her uniqueness.

Zhuang Meng said softly: "Later, you should also know that the villagers wanted to dedicate Zhou Zhou to the gods. I had no ability at that time, so I could only secretly send Zhou Zhou out, but I didn't expect that after so many years, they still didn't Don't let our mother and son go."

"Since this is the case, we can only die."

Chu Zhou stepped forward, gently hugged her into his arms, and gently patted her on the back. He suddenly remembered that when he was a child, every winter, Zhuang Meng's body would be cold and icy, and the skin on his hands would fester. Well, Zhuang Meng lied to him back then, saying that he had chilblains on his hands, but now that he thinks about it, his body is probably rotting.

Holding the cold body in his arms tightly, Chu Zhou said softly, "I'm sorry." I left you here alone for so many years.

Zhuang Meng patted his hand and said with a smile: "What is there to be sorry for Mom, Mom can do anything for you." She said and waved to the carrot heads next to her, "This is when you were young, I picked up some children by accident, and you played with them before." There are fewer and fewer newborns in the village, and some of them are still born dead. These children were abandoned by the villagers Dead babies, like Zhuang Meng, they all died and then came back to life.

The radish heads stepped forward and hugged Chu Zhou's legs. Their height was only a little above Chu Zhou's knees, and they called out timidly for brother.

Chu Zhou patted their heads with a smile and asked what to do next.

The gods have disappeared, but things in the village have not been resolved.

Zhang Ren said: "The responders are still outside, these villagers... what should we do?"

Xie Qi said: "The affairs of the living are naturally handed over to the living."

The villagers were no longer a threat to them. They discussed it and decided to call the police after going out and let the police handle it.

The next day, after breakfast, Zhang Ren was ready to leave the village and go down the mountain.Qu Yanning and the others stayed in the village and went down the mountain together after the police came to deal with it.

Zhuang Meng lived in the village with a few children, and hid when the police came.Chu Zhou originally wanted to take them back to Shenshi first, but Zhuang Meng insisted on not agreeing.

Neither of the two could convince the other, and in the end Xie Qi said that the entire village had formed a Juyin pond, and it was not good for living people to live in, but it was the best place for Zhuang Meng to practice, and it would be detrimental to take them away forcibly. their practice.

Only then did Chu Zhou's gloom subside.

After Zhang Ren said goodbye to them at the entrance of the village, he walked out of the village and walked through the narrow valley. The veterans who were waiting outside immediately cheered up when they saw him coming out. .

Zhang Ren's family had some relationship with the higher authorities, and instead of going through those complicated procedures, the local police station directly sent armed police into the mountain.

Early on the morning of the third day, the armed police with live ammunition arrived at Fenghu Village and surrounded the village tightly.

Zhuang Meng had already taken a few radish heads and hid them in advance. The police were divided into two teams, one team went to search the villagers, and the other group went to search the temple.

The god disappeared, and the villagers looked ashamed. When they came out of the house, they all looked old and listless.Many villagers who were tightly wrapped around their bodies were also searched out.

These villagers had large and small sores on their bodies. The police did not know if they were contagious, so they had to isolate them first.

Another team of police officers who went to search the temple also found a secret passage behind the temple, followed the secret passage, and they found a deep cave.

There was a stench in the cave. The police went in with gas masks and found that there were countless bones, large and small.