In our ancient land of China, many industries have their own rules and taboos, especially the older and more mysterious the craft.
For example, one cannot ask about the cause of death when "asking the spirits";
A coffin maker cannot make a coffin for himself;
Paper craftsmen cannot draw eyes on paper figures;
A shamanic incense offering cannot be performed without a complete shrine...
Violating these rules and taboos will lead to extremely terrifying events.
What I'm going to tell you is a story about these rules and taboos.
In a small northern town built around the largest prison in the province, there is an inconspicuous paper-making shop.
In order to earn money for his adoptive father's medical treatment, Zhao Youliang had no choice but to work in this paper-making shop, which was thousands of miles away from his home.
Although the salary was high, the mysterious boss's requirements for Zhao Youliang were very simple: just follow the rules.
Four extremely bizarre rules...
1. No living person other than "Zhao Youliang" is allowed to enter the shop.
Even the old Taoist priest, who was also the shop owner, only watched Zhao Youliang go in, and didn't dare to step into the shop himself.
Second, shops must open for business after the first ray of sunlight and close for business before the last ray of sunlight disappears.
Once the main entrance is closed, it must never be opened again, no matter the reason!
Even if Zhao Youliang was in a hurry to get out, he would go through the back door or crawl through the dog hole in the corner of the wall.
Third, the paper figures and horses in the shop should be arranged in two rows, facing the entrance.
Yellow paper should be laid out in the middle of the road, just like a carpet laid out to welcome distinguished guests.
At the same time, Zhao Youliang was absolutely forbidden to walk on the "carpet". If he wanted to go out through the main gate, he had to go around behind the paper figure.
Fourth, every day at midnight, incense must be offered to the two effigies enshrined in the center of the shop.
A pair of life-size dolls that look like they're having a ghost marriage!
However, what "connected" them wasn't a red rope, but a thick, rusty iron chain...
After explaining the rules, the old Taoist priest hurriedly left the town, seemingly not at all worried that Zhao Youliang would "escape" along the way.
Before leaving, he coldly waved the "employment contract" he had signed.
On his first night sleeping in the shop, Zhao Youliang felt a strange sense of fear.
In a hazy state, it seemed as if the paper figures had come to life and were surrounding the head of the bed, staring intently at him.
The feeling is like... like lying on the operating table, completely powerless and dazed, and seeing a group of doctors grinning at you.
And these doctors all had a funny face on their heads...
But when Zhao Youliang suddenly woke up and turned on the light to check, he found nothing.
The paper figures still stood "obediently" on both sides of the shop entrance, as if waiting to welcome some important person.
As time went on, Zhao Youliang's unease grew stronger.
This feeling reached its peak after the "fortune teller" old woman and the coffin maker old man Sun said the same inexplicable things to him.
"Young man, run while you can! Some money you might earn but not live to spend..."
Zhao Youliang did consider running away.
But if I run away, what will happen to the old Taoist priest's promise to get back the three years' wages he's paid in advance?!
After all, that money had already been used to pay for her adoptive father's hospital fees... so she had no choice but to grit her teeth and persevere.
On this day, Zhao Youliang followed the rules and opened the shop door as soon as the first rays of sunlight appeared.
After carefully checking the placement of the paper figures, he walked around behind them and left the shop listlessly.
I did a few simple chest-expanding exercises, and then started jogging near the door.
They were shouting slogans as they ran.
"Holding in a fart will damage your heart; forcing it out when you don't is good exercise..."
The unconventional morning exercise slogan was interrupted by a piercing police siren.
Then, the prison gates in the distance slowly opened, and several police cars escorted a truck toward the town.
Pedestrians on the roadside, and even Zhao Youliang himself, had become accustomed to such things.
It was "just" a death row inmate being paraded through the streets before his execution, a final act of public scorn.
When the convoy arrived in front of Zhao Youliang, they saw three fierce-looking men tied up in the truck.
One of them had strange, dark blue tattoos all over his neck: they resembled bats, but were much more ferocious.
Just as Zhao Youliang was engrossed in watching, a sudden, sharp pain shot through his ear.
Following closely behind was the clear, yet fiery, voice of Yingchun, the barbecue shop owner.
"Zhao Youliang, your big yellow dog is causing trouble in my house again! Aren't you going to do anything about it?!"
"If you don't do something about it, I'll castrate that old beast with one stroke!!"
Besides the paper-making shop, the big yellow dog is another "intangible cultural heritage" left to Zhao Youliang by the old Taoist priest.
The reason it's called "Big Yellow Dog Old Beast" is because this dog has lived for who knows how many years.
According to an elderly man in the town, he has been chased and bitten by a big yellow dog since he was a few years old, and the biting continues until he is over eighty years old now...
You should know that the average dog's lifespan is only a dozen years or so!
Knowing full well what kind of person his old dog was, Zhao Youliang dared not refute and hurriedly bared his teeth and begged for mercy.
"Ouch, that hurts! Beautiful lady, please be gentle, your ear is about to fall off!"
"Besides, that old bastard has been a pervert for a long time. Which female dog in our town hasn't been violated by him?!"
"Almost all the puppies born in the last few years are its fault, right?! Even those that occasionally got pregnant with other people's puppies, didn't it kick them all and cause miscarriages...?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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