Days passed, and Meng Cuiqiao still didn't come back. How could Meng Lianpeng agree? Since he was sensible, he had never been separated from Meng Cuiqiao for so long. No matter how coaxed and persuaded by others, it will not stop.

Zhang Ehu's voice became hoarse when he heard him crying, and his big eyes were red and swollen like steamed buns.

Meng Lianpeng threw herself into his arms and said, "Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow..."

Zhang Ehu lightly patted him on the back and said, "Miss, go to work, and come back when you're done."

Meng Lianpeng asked, "When will she come back?"

Naturally, Zhang Ehu couldn't answer, these days he went out early every day, looking for Meng Cuiqiao, and didn't return until late at night, but he had no idea where Meng Cuiqiao was going, and he returned in vain every time.

The head catcher of the county government once suggested to him to draw pictures, but Bai Yingyang said: "Xiao Qiaoer didn't tell you where to go, and the letter even told you not to look for it, most likely there are secret things to do, so post the pictures , what should I do if it puts him in danger?" So Zhang Ehu didn't do that.

Although the servants of the Zhang family were intimidated by the young master and dare not talk about the young lady anymore, rumors have already formed, how can the outside world stop youyou's mouth?

At first, it was only rumored that their husband and wife had a dispute, and the county magistrate's wife ran away from home in a fit of anger, but as time went on, the rumors became more and more serious: some said that the county magistrate's wife was grateful to the evil tiger county magistrate for helping her escape from the brothel, so she used her body to escape from the brothel. Xu, married life is not happy, so he ran away from home; some people say that the wife of the county magistrate first married the magistrate of the evil tiger, just to use him to escape the trap of the brothel, and now she is free, of course she does not want to marry a living hell king. I lived my whole life, so I ran away from home; some people said that the wife of the county magistrate really lived with the magistrate of the evil tiger. Ma'am, the county magistrate's wife couldn't stand it, so she ran away from home... This is considered light, and even said: "The county magistrate's wife saw a handsome little white face, and put a cuckold on the evil tiger county magistrate. End! Although the magistrate of the evil tiger has hatred, he is not willing to divorce his wife, but the wife of the county magistrate has fallen in love with the little boy, so she elopes with the adulterer in the middle of the night..." He said it vividly, as if he had witnessed this "Meng" with his own eyes. Cuiqiao seduces the little boy, Zhang Ehu struggles to keep him, and in the end he is abandoned," a family ethics tragedy.

Such unpleasant rumors spread to Zhang's family, and Mrs. Zhang was so angry that she said angrily: "A daughter should abide by women's morals when she marries a woman, but she ran away from home for no reason and asked outsiders to talk about our cooking after dinner... "

On the contrary, Zhang Ehu, as the days passed, his impetuous mood gradually calmed down, and he no longer looked for Meng Cuiqiao. Except for commuting to and from the county government and Meng's mansion all day long, he knew how to drink away his worries, and had a good relationship with Meng Cuiqiao. Qiao also changed from hatred at the beginning to longing!After going back and forth like this, he became more and more bored, his face was haggard and unkempt, his face was unshaven and emaciated.

Soon it was the Ghost Festival, after dinner that night, Zhang Ehu was drinking in the room again, Meng Lianpeng rushed in excitedly, grabbed the wine jar in his hand and said: "Big tiger, don't keep drinking, I'm going to release the river." Lantern, you take me there."

Zhang Ehu said: "What kind of river lantern are you letting go?"

Meng Lianpeng said: "Every year during the Ghost Festival, the girl takes me to set off river lanterns and pay homage to the ancestors. This year, the girl is not here, so you take me there."

Zhang Ehu said: "Where to put it?"

Meng Lianpeng said: "Uncle Xiaobaiyang told me to take me by the Yanyu lake, but grandma wouldn't let me." The "grandma" he said refers to Mrs. Zhang, and Zhang Ehu had asked him to change his words earlier.

Zhang Ehu laughed and said, "Why do you call Xiaobaiyang your uncle?"

Meng Lianpeng said: "He made me call him that. He said he was your younger brother. I worship you as my father. He is my uncle, Axiu is my aunt, and Fu'er is my cousin."

Zhang Ehu said: "That's true."

Meng Lianpeng said: "He also said that after he and Aunt Axiu get married, I will change my name to Aunt Axiu as my aunt."

Zhang Ehu said: "Then why did you call me Big Tiger just now, why didn't you call me Daddy?"

Meng Lianpeng said: "Of course I would like to call you Daddy, but don't you like me calling you Big Tiger?"

Zhang Ehu said: "It's Big Tiger Dad."

Meng Lianpeng laughed and said, "Daddy Tiger!" He lived with Meng Cuiqiao since he was a child. After Meng Cuiqiao left, the entire Zhang family pitied him for being left behind, and everyone cared for him. Meng Lianpeng was a lively and cheerful person. Child, everyone loves him and makes him happy. Although he also misses Meng Cuiqiao very much, he is not as depressed as Zhang Ehu.

Zhang Ehu was very happy to call him "Father", hugged him and said with a smile, "Okay, Big Tiger Daddy will take you to release the river lantern."

Meng Lianpeng danced and said, "Big Tiger Dad, I want to ride tall!"

Zhang Ehu said: "Okay." Immediately he carried him on his shoulders and sat firmly, walked out of the room, but saw Bai Yingyang, Zhang Xiuyuan, Wen Yufu, Hanyu, Xionghong, Zezhi, Shuiyun, Shuizhi, Ouhua, Chen Biluo, etc. A group of maids and servants are already waiting in the courtyard.

Zhang Xiuyuan smiled and said: "It's still the little tiger who has a big face, he will come out as soon as he calls his brother."

Zhang Ehu was most annoyed by his servants following around, and said to the servant girl, "Go and play by yourself, you don't need to follow."

All the maids and servants cheered and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

Meng Lianpeng has been very close to Chen Biluo recently, so he is determined to go with him.

Chen Biluo agreed, glanced at Hanju and Shuiyun, and asked, "Aren't you going to play?"

Hanyu said: "I want to accompany the eldest young master."

Shui Yun also said: "I want to take care of Young Master Lian Er."

July [-]th, commonly known as "Ghost Festival", is said to be a day when the gates of hell are opened, and ghosts from the underworld will all return to the world on this day to reunite with their families.

Zhang Ehu and his party came to the bank of Yanyu Lake, and saw people gathered on the shore, at the bridgehead, and on the boats. Those who set up river lanterns set off river lanterns, those who set up paper boats set up paper boats, and monks and Taoists beat wooden fish to chant scriptures, and the dead were sobbed. The sound of sobbing is endless... In previous years, on the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Zhang family always closed the doors and turned off the lights early. The Zhang family never put out river lanterns by the Yanyu Lake. Seeing this scene tonight, they were a little surprised.

Meng Lianpeng said: "It wasn't like this in the past years. Everyone was talking and laughing, talking to their ancestors."

Bai Yingyang sighed: "In the past years when I paid homage to my ancestors, after all, I have passed away for a long time. Although I miss them, I can deal with them calmly. This year, during the Dragon Boat Festival, flood dragons harmed Meilong County, and many relatives died in their families. It is better to pay homage to the newly deceased on the Ghost Festival. It's sadder than ever."

The group found a place at the pier. Meng Lianpeng got down from Zhang Ehu, took out the incense burner incense candle from the bamboo box, lit it and inserted it, took out gold leaf coins, paper clothes and paper shoes, placed them on both sides of the incense burner, and pressed them with fruit cakes. , in case the wind blows away.

After a few obeisances, he took out some brushes, inkstones, and made lotus lanterns, dipped them in ink to write on them, then lit the wicks, and put them on the lake one by one.

The lotus lanterns are arranged in a row, floating to the center of the lake with the water waves, illuminating the dark misty lake brightly.

Everyone asked, "What did you write on the lotus lantern just now?"

Meng Lianpeng said: "It's the names of grandpa, grandma, daddy, and...my mother's."

Wen Yufu said: "Why do you need to write your name when you put the lantern on the river?"

Meng Lianpeng said: "The girl said that during the Ghost Festival, the underworld is open, and the grandparents, fathers and mothers who live in the underworld will come up to reunite with us. They have been in the underworld for a long time, and they don't know the way home. They want to make lotus lanterns. Write your name and put it in the river, and when they see it, they will naturally know that we are here to greet you."

Everyone thought of their dead relatives, their noses were sore, and they all took a few lotus lanterns and wrote with pens.

Sitting next to Meng Lianpeng, Bai Yingyang peeped at the names he wrote were "Meng Xu", "Bai Cui", "Meng Baihe", "Meng Baihe", his expression changed slightly, and he asked, "Meng Xu... is your grandfather?" what..."

Meng Lianpeng said: "Yes."

Bai Yingyang nodded, then pointed to the lotus lanterns with "Bai Cui" and "Meng Bai He" written on them: "Who are they?"

Meng Lianpeng said: "Bai Cui is the girl's mistress, Meng Baihe is me...my mistress..."

Bai Yingyang murmured: "Is that so..."

Meng Lianpeng said: "The girl said yes."

When Bai Yingyang heard him talk about Meng Baihe, his words were a little uncertain, and he wondered, "Could it be that you don't think so?"

Meng Lianpeng said: "My mother passed away before I knew what happened. I have never seen her before..."

Bai Yingyang heard him answer the wrong question, and asked again: "Is Meng Baihe the girl's younger brother?"

Meng Lianpeng nodded and said, "Yes."

Bai Yingyang smiled and said, "Young lady said he is your father?"

Meng Lianpeng wondered: "Of course it is." Frowning at him, he said: "Why did you say that?"

Bai Yingyang smiled and said, "I'm just saying it casually." He said in his heart, "He's coaxing you, he himself is your father."

Wen Yufu put a few river lanterns, took out a pen and paper, and drew the misty and rainy lake under the night on the paper.

Bai Yingyang said: "You always bring a pen and paper to draw. Tonight is the Ghost Festival. It's called 'Ghost Painting Talisman'."

Wen Yufu smiled and said: "You can't draw well, that's the 'ghost painting'. I can draw well, and it's called "Night Scenery of Misty Rain Lake"."

Bai Yingyang said angrily: "Who said that, I draw much better than you." As he spoke, he took the pen and paper from his hand and began to draw.

Hanyu, Shuiyun, and Chen Biluo watched from the sidelines, and when he finished drawing, they all gave him a thumbs up and praised, "It's so beautiful!"

Meng Lianpeng also ran over, looked at it and said with a smile, "It's Aunt Axiu!"

Zhang Xiuyuan turned his face away in shame when he heard this.

Wen Yufu said to Bai Yingyang: "It turns out that you asked us to come out, saying that you were going to accompany Lian Er to release the river lantern, but you actually wanted to date your cousin."

Bai Yingyang smiled and said: "Since you know it, I don't need to say it anymore." Holding Zhang Xiuyuan's hand, he said: "Let's go for a walk on the shore."

Zhang Xiuyuan agreed, and the two went far away in one fell swoop.

Zhang Ehu shouted: "Don't go too far!"

Bai Yingyang replied: "I know!"

Meng Lianpeng said: "Father Big Tiger, Uncle Little Baiyang and Aunt Axiu are so old, are you still worried about them getting lost?"

Wen Yufu said: "Cousin is worried that they will encounter ghosts."

Meng Lianpeng was most afraid of ghosts, so she threw herself into Zhang Ehu's arms and said tremblingly, "What... are there ghosts?"

Zhang Ehu said: "What are you afraid of ghosts? If ghosts dare to come, I will catch them and show you."

Meng Lianpeng covered his eyes with his hands and said, "I don't look, I don't look!"

Zhang Ehu smiled and said, "Okay, okay, don't look at it."

Hanyu said: "Master Lian'er, if you stay with Eldest Young Master all the time, ghosts will be afraid of you."

Meng Lianpeng wondered, "Why?"

Hanyu smiled and said, "Young master is full of yang energy, no ghosts or monsters dare to get close to him."

Meng Lianpeng and Chen Biluo asked in surprise, "Really?"

Wen Yufu said: "Just now, the little white sheep said that he would take you out to set off the river lanterns. Auntie wouldn't let me, but as soon as my cousin said he would come, my aunt didn't stop me. Because my cousin is here, my aunt is not afraid of meeting you." ghost."

Chen Biluo said: "But the Second Young Master and the Eldest Miss are far away now."

Wen Yufu looked around and said: "There are so many people by the Misty Rain Lake, and there is a lot of yang energy, you should...don't worry too much..."

Chen Biluo said: "That's not necessarily the case. July is a cloudy month, and the Ghost Festival is the day with the heaviest cloudy energy. Tonight, the gates of hell are wide open, and all the dead souls will come up. Yin energy is comparable to yang energy. Besides, , so many people died during the Dragon Boat Festival, most of them were in the bardo, full of resentment, the yang energy of ordinary people may not be able to suppress it."

Meng Lianpeng was very frightened, hugged Zhang Ehu tightly, and curled up in his arms.

Hanyu asked curiously, "What is the bardo body?"

Chen Biluo said: "It's people whose lifespan is not yet exhausted. They cannot be reincarnated. They have to wait in the underworld until their lifespan is exhausted before they can be reincarnated."

Shui Yun said: "Aren't they very pitiful?"

Chen Biluo smiled and said, "That's right, they wandered on the road to Huangquan, accumulated a lot of grievances, and some of them even turned into ghosts."

Seeing that he was talking vigorously, Wen Yufu asked, "Why are you so happy? Are you not afraid of ghosts?"

Chen Biluo asked, "What's so scary about ghosts?"

Zhang Ehu said: "Yes, there is nothing to be afraid of." He said to Meng Lianpeng: "You are a little tiger, and you are afraid of ghosts."

Meng Lianpeng pouted, "Why can't the little tiger be afraid of ghosts?"

Zhang Ehu couldn't answer why the little tiger couldn't be afraid of ghosts.

Chen Biluo smiled and said: "The little tiger will grow into a big tiger in the future. The big tiger is very mighty. If it sees a ghost, it will shrink into a ball in fright and become a sick cat. If others see it, it will be ashamed to death!"

Zhang Ehu said: "That's right!" He pinched Meng Lianpeng's nose and smiled, "You little sick cat."

Meng Lianpeng thought to himself: "I'm still young, so I'm afraid of ghosts. When I grow up, I'll grow courageous, and I won't be afraid of ghosts." The more I think about it, the more I feel like this, and I make faces at them. , making a look of "I don't have the same knowledge as you".

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