our supernatural life

Grandma was completely stunned by Shao Jing's words, and it took a long time before she said, "What gold?"

Mai Mai was busy looking for gauze and anti-inflammatory powder to stop grandma's bleeding, but grandma grabbed him and said, "Let grandma engrave it for you first!"

"Grandma." Shao Jing put the knife back in his hand, "I know that the lifeline of wheat is not long, but you should know that the lifeline can be engraved once and not a second time, so you better not bother. Tell me first. Us, where did this knife come from?"

Grandma said in a daze, "Can't engrave it a second time? What about Brother Chun?"

Shao Jing frowned: "You don't know? Then how do you know that this thing can cut the lifeline?"

Grandma was stunned for a while before speaking intermittently.It turned out that this small knife belonged to Grandpa Mai’s family. When he was young, Grandpa Mai’s lifeline was also very short.At that time, his family was still rich, and he donated a lot of money for incense, and asked for a hundred-day consecration coin in a temple. After wearing it, his illness was less, but his body was still very weak.Then one day, a Taoist priest fell ill in front of their house. Grandpa Mai’s family was a local good man, so the Taoist priest was taken in to recuperate at home.After recovering from the disease, the Taoist thanked them and said that the young master had no lifeline, which was a sign of premature death, so he took out this small knife and asked the child's mother's blood to carve a lifeline on the child's hand, so that he could live to adulthood And have descendants.But because Grandpa Mai's own mother died of dystocia when giving birth to him, it had to be engraved without blood.Sure enough, after engraving this lifeline, Grandpa Mai's health gradually improved, he did not get sick anymore, and lived until adulthood.The family knew it was a treasure, so they treasured it up.Later, because of the family's decline, Mai's grandfather finally managed to become a door-to-door son-in-law. He pawned everything in the house, and there were only a few things left, only the knife and the hundred-day money.Because Grandpa Mai himself felt that the hundred-day money was useless, he didn't care about it, and threw it in the box, and almost used it as ordinary big money.Later, a son was born, and the lifeline was not long, so Mai's grandfather took out the knife to carve the lifeline for his son.Later, when Grandpa Mai passed away, grandma kept the knife and carved a lifeline for him when he was young.

The more Mai Mai heard, the more something was wrong, and she couldn't help asking: "Grandma, since this thing is useful, why did Grandpa and Dad die when they were both in their thirties? Then this lifeline is of no use at all?"

Grandma shook her head and sighed: "How can it be useless? Your grandfather didn't have a lifeline at all. He was born with a thread missing in his hand. If it wasn't for this knife, he would have died before he was four or five years old. In the end, if he lived to More than 30 is already very good."

"What about Dad? Doesn't he have a lifeline?"

Grandma hesitated to speak, and after a while said vaguely: "He, he is almost the same..."

Mai Mai keenly felt that grandma was not telling the truth: "Grandma, what's the matter? What's wrong with my hands? Did I have a lifeline when I was born? But my mother said that you only took a knife to carve it when I was five years old. The one in my hand, why wasn't it engraved at birth?"

Grandma was speechless for a while.Shao Jing said lightly from the side: "Grandma, you should say everything you have to say. It's not good for Xiaomai to keep it a secret. You don't want him to live a short life, do you?"

Grandma was stunned for a while, then sighed: "It's all your father's fault!"

"It's a long story..." In the middle of the night, the lights were like beans, and with the slightly trembling voice of grandma, it was indescribably weird.

"Your grandfather was born with the fate of premature death. After carving it with this knife, he lived to be more than 30. When your father was born, his life was short, but it was much longer than your grandfather. So your grandfather Treat this knife like a treasure, and personally carved a life line for your dad. Before you died, you told me to keep it. After you were born, I looked carefully and saw that your life line was there, and it was quite long. Yes, I was so happy at the time, I thought it was finally a change of luck..." Grandma wiped her tears when she said this.

"Then why did you have to engrave it again?" Shao Jing asked while playing with the knife.

Grandma sighed a long time: "It's all his father! When Brother Chun was five years old, his mother's house was hit by a disaster. The factory was burned down, all the goods to be shipped were burned, and he owed the family's debts. His grandfather died of a brain hemorrhage in a panic. Brother Chun's mother is a capable woman. She insists on propping up the factory to pay off the debts, saying that she can't let his grandfather die and make people complain. I see her busy every day. If it's too bad, I just want to bring the child here to play for a few days, so that she can relax a bit and do things. To be honest, his father was spoiled by my brother Chun and his grandfather since he was a child. Not busy, stay at home, his mother still has to serve him, and he is not satisfied with making trouble. So I asked him to come back with me, first to see the child, and second, not to get in the way at home. As a result, after staying for a few days One night, his father bought a lot of good food and came back. Brother Chun ate too much. His father said to take him out to digest food. I said that in our place, don’t go outside the village after dark, just walk around That's fine. As a result, his father went out and didn't come back for a long time. I was in a hurry, and I searched all over the village but couldn't find it. It wasn't until midnight that I was going crazy, and his father came back with the child, saying that he had lost his way somehow. , it was very easy to find the way back. In our area, the old people say that there are spirits in the mountains, and you can’t enter the mountains at night. Once you enter, you can’t come back. He was fine, so he didn't think much about it. As a result, his father disappeared in a few days..."

Grandma finally burst into tears when she said this. Obviously, the pain of losing a child in middle age is still painful when I think about it now.

Mai Mai hugged her to comfort her.Grandma cried for a while, and wiped away her tears: "The person disappeared, and even the body couldn't be found. They said that they were captured by the spirits in the mountains. His father didn't believe this since he was a child. I said, he also said that I was an old feudal In the end, he got into trouble... I was afraid, even afraid that Brother Chun would disappear, so I carried him back to his mother's house, and kept watch over him every day. One night when I was bathing Brother Chun, I suddenly saw Brother Chun on his hand. His lifeline is short, for no reason, it is missing. If other people may not notice this, I have been watching it since I was born. I watch it every day and remember it clearly. I still don’t know what happened to his father that night. Where did he take Chundi to, not to mention that he was fascinated by spirits and went away, and even lost his son's life... I dare not tell his mother. His mother is miserable. His father died, and his husband died. What would she do if I told her that my son would not live long? So I dug out this knife and carved a line on Brother Chun's hand. According to what the Taoist master said back then, it was to dip my own mother's blood, But Brother Chun's mother didn't believe this, so I didn't dare to say it, and dipped in my own blood. But when Brother Chun's mother saw me, she thought I was stabbing the child with a knife. Come back to live. Brother Chun, it’s because your father didn’t listen to the elders and hurt others and himself..."

Mai Mai was stunned, not knowing that there was such a complicated inside story.Shao Jing asked calmly, "Then where did the bracelet that Xiaomai is wearing come from?"

Grandma was stunned for a moment: "His father bought it for him, and I didn't care about it at the time. No one in the village sells it, so I probably bought it from a passing dealer? Anyway, he put it on for Brother Chun. It's rare for him to give it to Brother Chun." To buy something, within two days after buying it... so his mother let Chundi wear it all the time, it's also a thought."

Shao Jing and Mai Mai glanced at each other. Obviously, grandma didn't know what the bracelet was for.

After grandma said these things, even sad and frightened, her spirits had completely collapsed, and she couldn't sit still in a daze.Mai Mai helped her to lie down, and she didn't retreat to the next room with Shao Jing until she fell asleep.As soon as he sat on the kang, Mai Mai felt that he was going to collapse: "It turns out that grandma is here to prolong my life... Now that the life pattern is gone, it means that I am destined to have a short life..."

Shao Jing hugged him and lay down: "Don't worry, there are still six years left, I will definitely find a solution."

Mai Mai felt that his mind was a little numb: "This matter is quite complicated... Where did Dad take me back then? Where is he now? Could it be the stage I saw last time in the mountains... …No, I’m going to look for it again!”

Shao Jing suppressed him: "I will accompany you if you want to go, but not today. Too many things happened today, you have to rest well, and I have to make some preparations. Tomorrow, let's go see that place."

Mai Mai rested her head on his shoulder, tossing and turning to fall asleep.Shao Jing also looked at the roof with wide eyes, thought for a while, and suddenly said: "I always feel that something is wrong. Where did your father get that infinite chain you are wearing?"

Mai Mai was stunned for a moment: "Who knows where he bought it? Maybe, it was passed down by some expert in the past, and later generations didn't know the goods, so he sold it as an ordinary bracelet, so he bought it?"

Shao Jing nodded: "It's possible, but it's too coincidental. And you're a boy, even if you buy accessories for a boy, a long-life lock or something is better than a bracelet, right? By the way, you were five years old then So, you have no memory at all?"

Mai Mai desperately recalled, only to find that her memory of before the age of five turned out to be blank.Shao Jing put his arms around him and murmured: "It seems that this is not as simple as spirits and monsters. When you lose your life, you will have the Promise Chain. How could it be such a coincidence?"

Mai Mai thought of something wrong: "No, you said that my life expectancy is only thirty, so why was my lifeline so long when I was born?"

"Because lifespan thirty is not your lifespan in this life, but a curse from your previous life."

"Curse? What do you mean?"

Shao Jing frowned and thought about how to explain: "That is to say, your physical lifespan in this life is not short, but in your last life you cursed yourself to live to [-]. Originally... I think if your father didn't hug you then Go out, or the curse may not come true, this is also a kind of calamity."

Mai Mai didn't understand half of what he heard, and he couldn't wait to go up the mountain to have a look now: "What else do you need to prepare?"

Shao Jing pushed him back into his arms: "What are you in a hurry for? If you hadn't been wearing the hundred-day coin last time, believe it or not, you wouldn't have come back at all? Even though life extension isn't enough for things that have been opened, it's still a bit of a scapegoat." It is useful. Now I don’t have this thing, so of course I have to make some preparations before I can go. I need to find a few mirrors, preferably some old ones; I also need—musical instruments, flutes, do you have them? Otherwise, the erhu will also work.”

"What do you want those things for?"

Shao Jing touched his face: "It's used to drive away mandrills. You have a little fever, don't ask, go to sleep now."

"I can't sleep." Mai Mai grabbed his clothes, "If my dad is really under the stage..."

Shao Jing shook his head slightly: "I don't think it's possible. I always feel that this matter is not that simple. Forget it, go to bed first, and I will definitely take you there tomorrow."

Mai Mai didn't sleep well that night, and he seemed to see his father's face in his dream.In fact, his memory of his father is only a few photos, and he doesn't even have a deep impression, let alone dream of him.But this time he was sure that he saw his father, half-kneeling in front of him to put the bracelet on his wrist, and a strange man stood a little far away, his face was a little blurry, but his apologetic eyes were clearly seen.The man seemed to be holding a small wooden figure in his arms, but he couldn't see clearly.Then Dad's face suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a face that looked more like a monkey than a man, grinning at Wheat and waking him up.

It was already dawn, and Shao Jing was sitting by the window wiping a mirror. Hearing the movement, he turned around and said, "Are you awake? Lay down and don't move, you have a fever."

Mai Mai rubbed her head and sweated a little, as if it wasn't too hot.Shao Jing came over and touched it: "Well, it's a good thing I'm sweating, and the fever seems to have subsided."

Mai Mai felt that she had no strength in her body: "What are you doing?"

Shao Jing brightened the things in his hand: "Mirror. There are still some good things in your village. This mirror must be nearly 500 years old."

Mai Mai looked at the green and rusty thing. If Shao Jing hadn't said it, who would have recognized it as a mirror?It looks worse than broken copper.It is roughly a hexagonal piece of copper, with a slightly shiny front and a dented back, all covered with green patina. It can barely be seen that there are two things that don't know whether they are dragons or insects coiled on it.

"Can this also be called a mirror?"

"Naturally." Shao Jing carefully wiped the mirror surface with a white cloth, "It's just that it has been eroded too much by the soil, but an ancient mirror is an ancient mirror, and the copper essence is still there, so it can illuminate evil spirits and exorcise evil spirits."

"But what else can this thing reveal?"

Shao Jing looked at it again after wiping it, and couldn't help shaking his head: "It's really corroded too much... No matter what, it needs to be wiped to make it shine. There is no copper wiping water in your village."

"Either use a steel wool brush for the pan?"

Shao Jing shook his head straight: "That would do too much damage to the ancient relic—but we just want to use it to illuminate the charm, so the damage will be damaged. Fortunately, the quality of this thing is not good, and the owner doesn't know the value at all, so it has already been given to me. , and no one will make me pay for it if it is broken.”

Mai Mai felt a little ashamed at the beginning of his sentence, but at the end he just wanted to slap him: "Where did you get this thing?"

Shao Jing pouted casually: "That family at the top of the village. I said I wanted to find some old mirrors. Grandma said that his family used to make mirrors, so she took me there. It turned out that those old mirrors made by his family None of the mirrors can be used, I found this in the yard, put it under the eaves, and said that their children took it out from the debris pile to give the sparrows water to drink."

Wheat has nothing to say.Shao Jing really got up and went to the kitchen to get a steel wool ball and brush it vigorously for a while, and finally polished the front of the bronze mirror a little.Shao Jing picked it up to have a look, and shook his head: "This way the oxide layer is wiped away, and it will only last for a day or two, and it will corrode faster after it is used up. Good thing, it's over like this."

Mai Mai couldn't help asking: "Is this thing worth money?"

Shao Jing thought for a while: "If it's well preserved, it's probably worth a hundred thousand yuan. But now that it's so bad, unless it's a particularly interested collector, it won't pay much."

Only then did Mai feel a little better on his conscience.Shao Jing wiped the mirror surface again carefully with a cloth, and then applied a layer of oil. Now the light is much brighter, and the shadow of people can be blurred.Shao Jing put down the mirror and asked Mai Mai: "There is porridge still warming for you on the stove, and grandma has pickled some pickles for you, would you like some?"

Mai Mai felt that she had no appetite, but thought of how she would go up the mountain at night without eating, so she reluctantly sat up.Shao Jing brought all the dishes and rice, and said, "Don't be in a hurry, if you can't do it today, you can go tomorrow."

Mai Mai smiled wryly: "I can't wait for tomorrow."

Shao Jing touched his face: "Then eat well, and if you don't have a fever tonight, let's go." He hesitated a little, and then said, "Actually, it's been so many years, it doesn't matter if it's early or late."

Mai knew that what he said was the truth, but still found it harsh: "You really don't speak well."

Shao Jing snorted, then picked up a flute from the table, slowly carved it with a knife, and said coldly: "I'm just telling the truth."

Mai sat in a daze.Shao Jing engraved for a while, then looked up at him: "Hurry up and eat, it's getting cold."

Mai Mai drank the porridge dully and asked, "What are you carving?"

"Xi Shengfu. This flute is an ordinary flute, engraved with Xi Shengfu, the penetrating power of the sound will be stronger."

"What are you doing with the flute?"

"I didn't tell you to drive away the mandrill." Shao Jing moved the tip of the knife to carve carefully, holding it up to the light from time to time to look at it.

"Can you drive away mandrills with a flute?"

"Sound is also a kind of force. My fifth uncle is a master in this way, and he taught me a little bit."

Mai Mai was very curious: "Don't you have any spells to repel mandrills?"

Shao Jing sneered: "Spirits like mandrills are good at charming souls. They are called evil. Most of the time, they only hear their sounds but don't see their shapes. The spells really don't work. It's better to restrain the sound with the sound. My fifth uncle used to use twelve Playing music with a wine glass drove more than a hundred mandrills, my musical attainments are far behind him, but I guess there are at most ten or eight mandrills on this mountain, and it is not difficult to drive them away."

"Can you still play the flute?"

Shao Jing smiled slightly: "I know many things."

Wheat pouted.After chatting with Shao Jing, he felt a little better.The little pickles pickled by grandma were sour, and my appetite opened up a bit, so I drank all of the big bowl of porridge.With food in my stomach, I couldn't help but cheer up: "When are we going?"

"Evening." After Shao Jing finished carving the talisman, he blew off the sawdust on the table and looked out the window, "When the sun goes down, we can go into the mountain."