After participating in the metaphysical variety show, I exploded

"...Sell it?" Yu Xintang was struck by lightning, "But, but the matchmaker said..."

The girl in the corner looked at Yu Xintang, showing a mocking and sad smile. "You are young, so you probably don't understand...have you ever heard of a kiln?"

Yu Xintang nodded, her face was a little hot. "Mother said that's a place for unscrupulous women..."

"Heh, those people are trying to sell us into the kiln as kiln sisters!"

Yu Xintang's mind buzzed, and the world spun in an instant, and she fell to the ground.

"But how do you know...?"

"Of course they said it themselves!" The girl slammed the wall again.Her hands were swollen from the beating, but the wall remained motionless.

"The river god...?" Yu Xintang asked in a daze.

The crying girl choked up and said, "There is no river god, silly girl! Have you ever heard the story of the Ximen Leopard in the Warring States Period?"

Yu Xintang shook her head.The whole family has never read a book, and they don't know how to read. How can they know about those great figures in ancient times?

The weeping girl smiled sadly: "I heard from my grandfather - he was a scholar in the previous dynasty and had read many books - Ximen Leopard was a high official in ancient times. The custom of marrying a wife. The common people not only have to donate their daughters and daughters, but also raise money to organize the wedding. Every family complains. But in fact, this is just a trick of local corrupt officials colluding with witches and gods. They use the name of the river god to marry a wife It is a practice of accumulating wealth. Now the towns along the Qinghe River are marrying wives for the river god, which is nothing more than a repeat of history. The gentry and rich people exploit the people, and then sell the bride chosen by the river god to the city..."

The girl in the corner snorted: "You know so much, why don't you tell the people who are kept in the dark?"

"I said it, but who would listen to the words of a woman?"

The girl in the corner was startled, turned her head and said nothing.

Yu Xintang was dumbfounded.She always thought that she sacrificed herself in exchange for the peace of the people in the town.She originally thought that as long as the fishermen could continue fishing on the Qinghe River and return home safely, it would be worthwhile for her to marry the river god or be eaten by the river god.

But now they told her it was all a hoax.Her sacrifice was just a tool for the gentry and rich people to make money.Then why did she leave her parents and Qinghe Town?What's the point of her sacrifice?

Seeing Yu Xintang's distraught appearance, the weeping girl stopped her tears, crawled over with hands and feet together, and put her arms around Yu Xintang's shoulders. "Don't be afraid, sister. What's your name?"

"Yu Xintang..."

"My name is Xu Zhiran. The elder sister over there is called Lin Fang'er. It is said that the three of us sisters have been able to cross the same boat after a hundred years of cultivation. The three of us sisters can meet here, which means that there is a predestined relationship in the past life. No matter what we encounter, the three of us sisters don't know each other. Separated, even if you go to the underworld, you won't be alone."

Underworld!Yu Xintang was petrified by these four words.

Lin Fang'er suddenly gave a dark smile: "Yes, hell! I think we might as well kill ourselves here, at least we can keep our innocence!"

As she spoke, she untied Xifu's belt and wrapped it around her neck.

The cabin door opened with a bang.The matchmaker rushed in with two strong boatmen.The boatman took the belt from Lin Fanger's hand and clamped her tightly, while the matchmaker slapped her.

Lin Fang'er glared at the matchmaker fiercely, her lips were bleeding from the bite.It was only then that Yu Xintang realized that the matchmaker had been guarding outside the cabin all along, and the old wicked woman had heard everything they said.

"I want to die and wait until I die in the kiln. Don't delay my making money!"

As she spoke, she winked at the boatman.The boatman took out the rope and tied the hands of the three girls behind their backs.They also stuffed their mouths with rags so that they couldn't even bite their tongues to kill themselves.

Yu Xintang's tears were about to run dry.It would be better to die here than to be sold to a kiln.

When she was young, she went to the countryside with her parents to visit relatives, and she met a woman who was said to have come out of a brothel.The adults all said that the woman contracted a disease in the kiln, and when she was dying, she was thrown into a mass grave by the madam to wait to die, but she survived by luck.Later, he fled to the countryside and became a beggar, living in a ruined temple.

The woman kept covering her face with a rag.The adults said that the woman was unlucky and children were not allowed to approach her.Yu Xintang felt sorry for her, so once she secretly hid half a steamed bun and gave it to the woman.The woman was grateful to Dade, and immediately took off the mask and started to gobble it up.Yu Xintang was taken aback by her appearance.That woman's face is simply scarier than a monster!Not only is it covered with rotten sores, but even the nose is gone. There are only two black holes left, and pus is constantly leaking out...

Yu Xintang ran away from the ruined temple screaming, and then had nightmares for several days.The next year, when she went to visit relatives in the countryside with her parents, she heard that the woman was dead, and she was wrapped in a straw mat and buried anywhere, and now she couldn't even find the grave.

Yu Xintang would rather jump into the Qing River and drown like this than be sold into a brothel!But she was tied so tightly that she couldn't move, even if she wanted to jump into the river...

Just when she was almost desperate, the hull of the boat suddenly shook, as if it had hit something head-on.

But there are obviously no large reefs in the Qinghe River...

There were chaotic shouts outside the cabin, as if they were saying something like "struck on the rocks" and "waterlogged".At the same time, water sprayed out from the seams of the walls and ceiling, the whole ship tilted to the side and rear, and the three girls also rolled to the corner of the wall.

Lin Fang'er whimpered and winked at the other two desperately.Yu Xintang understood what she meant, turned her body hard, stretched her hand that was tied behind her back to Lin Fanger's mouth, and pulled out the rag from her mouth.Lin Fang'er bit the rope on Yu Xintang's wrist, trying to break it with her teeth.But it was an extremely firmly braided cable, Lin Fang'er gnawed until her mouth was full of blood, and the cable was only broken by a few strands.

With a loud "boom", a big hole was broken in the cabin wall, and water poured in like a waterfall.The three girls couldn't get up and were submerged in the river in an instant.

The red wedding dresses of the three swayed in the water, like gorgeous summer flowers sinking to the bottom of the river.

Yu Xintang's body was wrapped in a stream of water.Like a petal drifting with the tide, she floated overboard through the hole in the wall.She turned her head and saw that most of the boat had sunk into the river, and the boatmen with good water skills were floating on the water, like little black tadpoles.The matchmaker who can't swim sinks to the bottom of the water like a weight.

Yu Xintang felt strange, people are lighter than water, and drowned people tend to float on the surface of the water, how could the matchmaker sink?

Until her gaze fell on the matchmaker's hand.Until the moment of death, the matchmaker tightly clutched a small bundle.The turbulent current washed away the furring cloth, and heavy pieces of silver fell out and fell into the mud at the bottom of the river, setting off a muddy current.

Yu Xintang looked at Lin Fanger and Xu Zhiran again.The two girls were full of astonishment, because a half-human, half-animal "monster" was swimming beside them, cutting the rope around the girl's wrist with its sharp claws, and then swung its long tail, causing a stream of water to flow. Lift three people above the water.

The first time Yu Xintang saw the "monster", what Yu Xintang thought of was "Dragon Lord".Isn't that long tail just like a dragon?

But that monster has a graceful figure, not like a man, but like a woman...

Yu Xintang suddenly remembered an event from her childhood.Many years have passed, and that incident has been buried in the depths of my memory, but the moment I saw the monster with a human body and dragon tail, the memory came back to my mind.

That is the story about the River Temple in Qinghe Town.

I heard from my parents that there used to be no He Temple in Qinghe Town.One day, a businessman in the town encountered a storm when he was running a boat, but he was rescued by the river god when he had no hope of survival.Since then, he has been grateful to the God of the River, donated all his wealth to build the Temple of the God of the River, volunteered as a temple congratulator, and burns incense to worship the God of the River every day.

At first, the townspeople disapproved of the temple, thinking it was just a businessman's whim.However, some people went to the Heshen Temple to offer incense with the mentality of "worshiping is not a loss", and they were lucky again and again, and even survived the storm.They insisted that this was the blessing of Menghe God, and they came to fulfill their wishes with more wealth. Since then, the River God Temple has become the most effective temple in ten miles and eight towns.

Yu Xintang also went to the temple with her parents to offer incense when she was a child.The old Miaozhu who built the Heshen Temple was still alive at that time. She once heard him muttering to himself that he was serving "Master Dragon Lady".Yu Xintang just felt strange, aren't the river gods all masters of the Dragon King?Can a dragon girl also be a river god?Miao Zhu is old and confused?

He didn't take this matter to heart.

Later, Lao Miaozhu passed away.He has no children, and all his wealth is used to build the river temple.After his death, the temple became the public property of the town, under the jurisdiction of the new temple elected by the mayor and the gentry and elders.

The new temple wishes are not as kind as the old ones, but they are very greedy for money. They often intimidate the worshipers: "If you don't spend a lot of money to burn high incense for the river god, the river god will be angry! Your family also runs boats, right?"

The townspeople know that the river god is effective. Although they hate Xinmiaozhu's words and deeds that blatantly collect money, they obediently donated expensive incense money to seek the blessing of the river god.In their eyes, as long as the river god is still willing to bless them, he is a good god.

Until one day, Miaozhu announced that Lord River God would marry a bride every month.

Of course, no one would let their daughter be a bride.But everyone was afraid that the river god would be angry, so they had to come up with a way to draw lots, and Miaozhu presided over the draw meeting every month.Those who win the lottery consider themselves unlucky, while those who don't win the lottery have to donate money for the marriage of the river god.

In fact, as long as you pay attention, you will find that all the girls who are drawn are the daughters of Xiaomen Xiaohu.Those rich and gentry families never won the lottery once.

The simple folks never suspected that Miao Zhu had tampered with the lottery.After all, Miao Zhu is the one who serves the master of the river god, so how could he do any tricks under the eyes of the god?

Only now did Yu Xintang realize that Miao Zhu, the squire, the mayor, the matchmaker... were all in collusion.

The only fortunate thing is that there really is a river god in the Qinghe River, or a goddess.

She is not beautiful, but rather hideous.She has sharp teeth and scales on her face, her eyes protrude like fish eyes, her ten fingers are sharp like claws, and her fingers are webbed like frogs.

It is to the extent that just looking at it will make you have nightmares for days.

However, the Goddess never needs human approval of her "beauty".

She only needs humans to worship her strength is enough.Strength is the real compliment to a goddess.

She is like the Qinghe River, a Qinghe River with turbulent waves, turbulent waves beating the shore, turbulent currents, and surging waves on a stormy day.

The dragon girl floated to the surface of the water, looked at the river boat sunk with only half its mast in the distance, and then looked back at Yu Xintang and the three of them, as if she was very happy, she sang a weird song.

Then the long tail rolled, and another wave was set off.The three girls were engulfed by the current and washed ashore.

Yu Xintang lay on the bank, tilted her head, and vomited out all the water in her stomach.

Lin Fang'er and Xu Zhiran were also like her, groaning weakly on the river beach.

After a while, they finally recovered.Thinking of how they narrowly escaped death, the three of them faced the direction of Qinghe at the same time and kowtowed.

"Thank you, Lord River God, for saving your life!"

"Master River God's kindness, little girl, will never be forgotten! In the future, I will make a straw ring, and I will never hesitate to die!"

Yu Xintang was not as literate as Xu Zhiran, and couldn't speak a string of idioms, so she could only kowtow to her two sisters.

Their foreheads were scratched, and when they looked up again, they saw the dragon girl swaying her long tail and disappearing into the water.

The three girls looked at each other in blank dismay, still a little shocked, but more of the joy of the rest of their lives after the catastrophe.

"Great, we can go home!" Yu Xintang was happy.

Lin Fang'er's expression darkened upon hearing this. "We can't go home."

"Why? It was the River God who saved us! The Lord River God doesn't want to marry any bride at all, it's all colluding with the town's gentry and wealthy households..."

"Think about it, if the boat capsizes, how many people may die, if only the three of us go back with all our tails, what will happen?"

Yu Xintang felt a chill in her heart.That's right, the people on board are all subordinates of the ship's boss or the country gentry, and they will definitely blame themselves.Maybe he will kill her to silence her.

When she got to the shore, Lord River God couldn't save her.

"However, if we don't talk about it, maybe more women will be victimized... Do you think it is useful to report to the police?"

"Heh, the county magistrate may also be in cahoots with those wealthy households. How could the higher-ups not know about such a big event as the God of the River marrying a wife. The reason why they let them go is probably because they got a lot of benefits."

Xu Zhiran said: "I have an idea. Let's find a place to avoid the limelight first. I'll write a letter and send it home, tell my mother the ins and outs, and then ask her to report to your family that you're safe. The three of us will work together to find a way, see Let's see how we can expose the true colors of those wealthy households."

Among the three, Xu Zhiran had read the book.Yu Xintang and Lin Fang'er also felt that this method was the safest.There is still a long time before the River God gets married next month, and the three families have enough time to discuss a perfect solution.

After making up their minds, the three stood up unsteadily.The sky gradually darkened, and they saw smoke rising from a kitchen in the distance, presumably there must be a villager.They have hands and feet, so they can find a job first to fill their stomachs.No matter what happens in the future, as long as the three of them work together in the same boat, they will be able to overcome all difficulties.

The three girls took off their bright red wedding clothes, threw them into the Qing River, and walked towards the direction where the smoke rose arm in arm.Xifu floated in the river for a while, and disappeared into the waves when the waves rolled up.

One month later, in the River God Temple in Qinghe Town.

Shipowners, gentry, and rich households from several villages and towns along the Qinghe River gathered here, their expressions dignified.

"The wedding boat sank, and only three or five men with the best water skills came back alive, and the rest..." The person who spoke was the largest boat owner in Qinghe Town, and also the owner of the wedding boat.In the past, he had made the most profit in the business of "River God's Marriage", but this time he was also the one who lost the most.

It was the grandest and most respectable boat he had!It's been in the water for less than a year!

"The survivors said that the boat was overturned by the river god." Miao Zhu said hoarsely.

"Didn't you say that there is no river god at all?" The young pawnshop squinted at the temple.

"I've been a priest here for ten years, and I've never seen a river god, but..."

"You mean you made a mistake? Just because you made a mistake, we lost so much money?!"

"Don't make any noise!" The mayor interrupted them, throwing a letter on the table, "Look at this first."

The owner of the ship was illiterate, but the young master of the pawnshop had studied in a new-style school for a few years, so he took out the letter paper and read it aloud in public.

The name of the sender on the envelope is "Xu Xinfang". I don't know who it is, but at the beginning of the letter, it says: "My lord, it's like meeting you when you see the words. My daughter knows that everything is safe now..."

Following the young master's chanting, everyone's expressions changed from doubt to astonishment and then to panic.

This letter was actually written by Xu Zhiran, one of the three "brides"!She said in her letter that she did not die in a shipwreck, but was rescued by a river god. She did not dare to go home, so she and her two sisters stayed in the city for a while, earning living expenses by washing dishes in restaurants and hotels. Finally squeezed out the money to buy envelope stamps.

The letter also stated that the marriage of the River God was purely fictional, a conspiracy fabricated by the rich households in the town to exploit the townspeople, and hoped that the mother would quietly inform the families of the other two brides, and that the three families would discuss how to expose the truth and find those who were betrayed. Girl, return the peace of the upper and lower towns of Qinghe River.

The young master of the pawn shop slapped the letter paper on the table, and asked the mayor viciously, "How did you get this letter?"

"It was sent to Xu's family in Heyang Town. The old widow of Xu's family hanged her neck on the day her daughter was 'married'. The postman couldn't find the recipient, so he had to deliver the letter to the mayor of Heyang Town and then handed it over to me. .I just found out..."

The ship owner turned to Miao Zhu: "So, there really is a river god in the world?"

If the few surviving sailors said so, the shipowner might think that they were scared out of their wits and made up things in order to escape punishment.But even the three brides said that... After all, even the sailors who are familiar with water have lost more than half, how did the three delicate and frail women survive?If there are no factors of strange power and chaos, it is really impossible to explain these strange phenomena...

Miao Zhu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "I... I thought there was no..."

"That's it?!" The fiery owner grabbed Miao Zhu's beard.

The crowd was in an uproar instantly, some accused Miao Zhu, some blamed the shipowner, and some immediately bowed in the direction of the statue of the river god, as if this would win the favor of the river god.

"Don't make noise!" The mayor raised his voice, "I have a plan, so please listen."

Everyone fell silent unwillingly.

"Now that we've made money, those untouchables can't find any money. It's better to accept it as soon as it's good." The mayor said, "As for the river god, you don't have to be afraid. I heard that there is an inn in Heyang Town. A Taoist priest, who can pinch and calculate, is very effective. He is good at killing demons and demons. He is a descendant of some great master in ancient times. We simply ask him to come forward to suppress the river god—no, the river demon! From now on, everyone will run boats on the river , you don’t have to worry about offending any gods anymore. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Miao Zhu first disagreed: "Then why don't I go to drink the northwest wind?!"

"If you convert this temple into a Buddhist temple, then you can become a monk and become a monk?"

As soon as Miao Zhu's eyeballs were discussed, his anger disappeared immediately.I heard that Buddhist temples are more profitable. Anyway, scriptures are recited, incense is burned, and money is collected. He is not losing money!

"But what if the Taoist priest can't beat the river god?" Miao Zhu asked.

"Wouldn't it be better? We don't have to pay Taoist priests!"

Another month.Linjiang County, Shunsheng Hotel.

"Little girl, are you from Qinghe Town?" the guest who came to the restaurant looked at Yu Xintang and asked.

After leaving Qinghe, Yu Xintang, Lin Fang'er, and Xu Zhiran came to Linjiang County and found a job washing dishes in a restaurant.Because of Yu Xintang's cute appearance and eloquence, she was transferred by the boss to be a waiter, and her salary was increased.

On this day, Yu Xintang was wearing the waiter's uniform and apron provided by the hotel, leading the seats for the guests as usual.The guest could tell from her accent that she was from Qinghe Town, so he chatted with her happily.

"We are from Heyang Town. How did you come to Linjiang County, little girl? Oh, you escaped because you were afraid of being chosen as a bride by the God of the River? There are indeed many women who fled like you, and our town also Same."

"What? Do you think the river god is still getting married? Not long ago, a powerful Taoist priest came to the town and subdued the river god. He said that it was not a river god at all, but a water demon, and we were all bewitched." Lie!"

"The River God Temple is about to be converted into a Buddhist temple. The temple wisher said that he failed to see the true face of the water demon and harmed many women. He feels very guilty, so he wants to become a monk and pray for the victimized women all his life... Sigh, it is not actually his. Wrong! Now everyone finally doesn’t have to worry about it!”

"Hey, why are you crying, little girl? You must be crying with joy! Haha, you can go home with peace of mind!"

Where did Yu Xintang feel at ease?

She was looking forward to the day when the truth would come to light, and the day when she could return to Qinghe Town in a fair manner, but she was looking forward to the stars and the moon, but what she was looking forward to was this kind of news!

The dragon girl who rescued them not only did not get the respect of the townspeople, but was slandered as a river monster and suppressed forever!

However, the gentry and wealthy family who caused disasters in the countryside escaped punishment and continued to escape justice!Miao Zhu even won everyone's sympathy, how abominable!

Sister Longnu... Sister Longnu...I killed you.Yu Xintang thought sadly.If we had returned directly to Qinghe Town and told the truth, maybe you would have been fine, right?

Yu Xintang told Lin Fang'er and Xu Zhiran what she had heard.The two were also extremely surprised.

Xu Zhiran even cried: "It's all my fault. If we had gone home straight away instead of... sending some letter, maybe Sister Longnv wouldn't..."

"If we go home, we might be sunk by now." Lin Fang'er said coldly, "Don't cry, crying won't solve the problem. We should think about how to save Sister Longnv. Last time she rescued her. It's our turn, this time it's our turn to save her!"

The three discussed it all night, and finally decided to stay in the county.Without the protection of the Dragon Girl, returning to Qinghe Town would be like a sheep entering the tiger's mouth. In order to preserve their reputation, the wealthy households would definitely kill them secretly.

While working in the county, they must try their best to find out how the Dragon Girl was suppressed and how to rescue them.Fortunately, all three of them are still young and have a lot of time to do this.Whether it takes a year or two, or ten or twenty years, they will release the dragon girl.

What Yu Xintang didn't expect was that it took 75 years to do this.

The old man on the embankment looked at the dragon girl with a dragon tail, his face was already wet with tears.

75 years.The dragon girl is still the same dragon girl, but Yu Xintang has changed from a young girl to a dying old man.

"Sister Longnu, do you still recognize me?" The old woman smiled while weeping, "I am Yu Xintang, the girl you saved. You sent me, Sister Fang'er, and Sister Zhiran ashore , do you remember?"

Back then, the three girls chose to stay in the county seat. After some inquiries, they learned that the river god was sealed somewhere underground by the Taoist priests, but no one knew the exact location.

Of course, it is impossible for Miaozhu to allow outsiders to search for any seals in the temple.The best way for them to save the river god is to simply buy that piece of land, so that they can dig as much as they want, and no one can control them.

For this, they have to work hard to make money.

A few years later, the whole country was liberated, and because of various opportunities, the life of the three people took unexpected changes.

"...I was recommended to work in a supply and marketing cooperative because of my hard work. I stayed there for decades. In the 80s, I saved some money and went to the imperial capital to do business. Unexpectedly, the business grew bigger and bigger, and now I am a director. It's grown." Yu Xintang smiled a little embarrassedly, "I'm going to buy the entire land of the River God Temple, and I have to dig three feet to find the seal. But before I have time to do that, you will be free again Yes. Sister Longnu, I am really happy..."

Yu Xintang wiped her eyes.

"It's a pity... Sister Fang'er and Sister Zhiran couldn't see this scene today. You probably don't know that Sister Zhiran later became a teacher and became a famous teacher with peaches and plums all over the world. Many of her students have become teachers. Scientists! Sister Fang'er is the most remarkable. She was a soldier and an Air Force pilot. She was the first batch of female pilots in our country!

"The three of us are all promising. If it weren't for you, we would never be where we are today...but we came late, too late...would you blame us?"

The dragon girl looked at the old woman silently.

Her physical structure predestined that she could not make a human voice, could not speak human words, and could only express her thoughts with cadenced singing.

But she can understand human language.

After a while, Longnu shook her head, as if answering: I didn't blame you.

She leaned forward and held Yu Xintang's hand.

The thin lips parted to the sides, revealing a mouth full of fangs.

The female secretary covered her heart in fright.But Yu Xintang knew that it was just a clumsy smile.

Then the dragon girl turned around and dived into the river.The long tail slapped the water surface, creating a turbid wave.

There are dozens of men and women mixed in the waves.They were washed ashore, all unconscious.

At the same time, strange singing sounded along with the sound of waves lapping on the embankment.

Until many, many years later, the townspeople of Qinghe Town recalled this unusual night, and the singing still echoed in their memories.