Chapter 78
Huangjiayu, south of our village, has a narrow road. To the right are steep mountains, one after another, and to the left is a winding river. The road is at a significant drop from the riverbank, practically situating it on the mountainside. Dense vegetation along the roadside obscures the view, and the road's twists and turns meander, leaving only about ten meters of view ahead.
The driver drove very cautiously, and the three of us drove on this road for two or three hours. A fork appeared on the left side of the road, and the driver drove along it. This dirt road was quite bumpy, and after about five minutes, a suspension bridge appeared in front of us.
The suspension bridge is connected to the opposite bank by iron chains, with wooden boards placed between the two chains. Under the suspension bridge is the surging river water.
It was the first time I'd ever seen a bridge like this. The driver parked the car, the old village chief and his two companions walked ahead, and Master Zhang and I followed behind. After stepping onto the suspension bridge, it was fine at first, but halfway down, it felt wobbly and unstable. I quickly grabbed the iron chain and looked down. It must have been thirty or forty meters high. The surging river below was splashing with water. Falling in would have been fatal.
I couldn't help but hold on to the chain and walked forward cautiously.
Master Zhang and the other two quickly reached the other side as if they were walking on flat ground. Seeing them waiting for me at the bridgehead, I blushed. But this fear was physiological, and I couldn't avoid it. I could only try not to look at my feet.
Finally, we crossed the terrifying suspension bridge. From the bridge, we headed left and down to a dirt road. Turning right, we found a stone-paved bluestone path. The driver and the old village chief led us down a small path on the left. There, a stone stood with the words "Huangjiayu" painted in red.
No wonder I've never heard of it. Huangjiayu is so remote, and I don't know how the village chief could have relatives here. When the driver got here, the old village chief gave him some money, and then the driver returned the same way.
I thought the driver was from Huangjiayu, but it turned out he was just a guide.
"Village chief, why is this place so remote?" I asked him.
"I'm wondering too. They won't move even when we ask them to. It's hard for them to even go out," said the old village chief.
Master Zhang suddenly stopped and looked at the steep cliffs ahead. The mountains here were different from ours. They were mostly straight up and down, bare and dark. Tall thorns grew on both sides of the path, and the road ahead was blocked by tall chestnut trees, blocking out the sunlight and making it feel like entering a cave.
"Master, is there something wrong?" I asked.
Master Zhang looked around at the mountains before him, frowned, and said, "This place is extremely gloomy and not suitable for long-term residence."
In fact, Master Zhang was being euphemistic. What he meant was that there must be a problem here, but he didn't say it directly because of the old village chief's face.
It is not suitable for long-term residence, but the old village chief’s relatives have been here for generations, and they refuse to move out even if they are asked to. The matter must be complicated.
Master Zhang was right. When I really stepped into the village, even though I had seen many strange things, I was still shocked by the scene before me.
The entire village is arranged horizontally, forming a "one" shape. This layout is quite unusual, as in our area, every house faces north and south, but Huangjiayu faces west. Sunlight is already obscured by the mountains, and this arrangement prevents any sunlight from reaching the homes. Even more bizarre, coffins are placed in front of every house. Some have one or two, others three or four, and the number varies.
"What is this?" I asked the old village chief curiously.
"Come on, let's go inside and talk." The old village chief led us to his relative's house.
"Uncle, open the door!" The old village chief knocked on the door hard and shouted loudly.
I looked carefully at the two coffins in front of his uncle's house. They looked very old.
After a while, I heard footsteps coming from the courtyard. An old man opened the door. He saw Master Zhang and me, glanced at us curiously, and said to the old village chief, "This must be Master Zhang. Please come in."
Master Zhang clasped his fists towards the old man, then took out a yellow talisman from his sleeve and stuck it on the door wall.
I don't know much about these Taoist talismans, so I can't understand the meaning of this one. The old man was not surprised to see Master Zhang's action.
When we entered the house, the old man brought us some hot water and said, "Master, you are a guest from afar. We are poor here and cannot afford to offer you good food. Please bear with us and drink some water first."
Village chief Wang's uncle's house looked bare, with only a kang and a wooden cabinet left.
"Grandpa, why do all the houses here have coffins outside?"
When he heard my question, his face changed and he said, "Keep your voice down."
"Uncle, please explain this matter in detail to Master Zhang. Master Zhang is very experienced and will definitely be able to help you solve this problem."
The old man looked at Master Zhang and saw that he had a resolute face and an air of immortality, a master who could be seen at first glance. He first invited us to sit on the kang, crossed his legs, sat across from me, and told me about their Huangjiayu.
"Speaking of our Huangjiayu, our ancestors have lived here for generations. I remember when I was a child, before those things came, the village was very lively. It's nothing like now, when the whole village dares not go out unless there is something wrong."
"What happened?" I asked.
"This story started 70 or 80 years ago. Back then, there was a drought. Remember when you passed by that river? The river was so dry that only the riverbed remained. The crops were about to die from the drought, so the villagers thought of looking for a fortune teller to help pray for rain. I don't know where this fortune teller came from, but he said that our village has bad feng shui. He could help us pray for rain first, but after the rain, we had to change the layout of the village, otherwise the drought would come again and it wouldn't solve the problem.
The situation was desperate. If it didn't rain, not only the farmers but the villagers would die of thirst. As soon as we heard it was going to rain, we all agreed. Strangely enough, he asked everyone in the village who could write to write their name, and he would write for those who couldn't. He then placed his handprint on each name, saying it was a petition to the Dragon King.
We didn't understand these things, so we just let him do what he wanted. After we finished pressing the hand seals, he began to perform a ritual. You wouldn't believe it, but as soon as he did that, the sunny sky suddenly became overcast with dark clouds and thunder and lightning. It looked like it was going to rain, and the villagers cheered behind him.
The heavy raindrops came down in a loud patter. The rain lasted for two or three days before it stopped, and the wells in the village began to swell with water.
At that time, the villagers believed in the gentleman very much and regarded him as an old immortal. After praying for rain, he asked us to change the layout of the village, and no one dared to object.
Our village used to be built facing south, but it was his transformation that turned it into what it is today."
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