In summer, dinner is a lively thing. Grandpa and grandma moved the bamboo bed under the tree outside the door, and placed the dough-kneading board on the bamboo bed. Holding the rice bowl, we sat around the dining table temporarily built on the bamboo bed and the cutting board. The evening breeze wandered around us humming a little tune, the rustling leaves accompany us in the dusk, and the fireflies wriggling their hips and dancing in the vegetable garden. They seemed to be sitting in the middle of the stage, performing how to eat. Mai Xiaojie’s home is in the middle of the village, where seven or eight houses are lined up in a row, and the gaps between them are connected by flower beds. When it was time for dinner, the neighbors and families moved the bamboo beds out of the door and walked out of the flowerbed, with the image of flowers and the fragrance of food on them. People who are not farther apart on this line also come here to join in the fun with their rice bowls in the evening, such as Xiaofang’s family.
The most lively place is also the house of Grandpa Xiong next door. At dinner, Grandpa Xiong sat on the edge of the bamboo bed, opened his clothes, spread his legs, holding a wine bottle in one hand and chopsticks in the other. He was drinking and eating food and had time to chat with the people on the side. The uncle and the uncle sat down beside Grandpa Xiong, holding wine glasses in their hands, and accompany them shirtlessly. Grandma Xiong was busy in the kitchen, and the aunt and sister-in-law shuttled between and outside the house. Every time they came out, there were new dishes on the chopping board in front of Grandpa Xiong. Finally, Grandma Xiong wiped her apron with her hands on her waist, and she walked out of the room with a smile on her face, followed by the aunt and sister-in-law who were carrying the last dish. The aunt put the dishes on the bamboo bed, and then the family sat around the bamboo bed for a banquet. Xiaofang’s father, mother, and brothers were sitting or standing with their bowls. Many times, grandma also sat down with a bench, and Mai Xiaojie was like grandma’s tail, following him. Grandpa faced a huge chopping board alone, eating quietly, accompanied by the breeze and swallows flying around the house.
The father of Yiru next to the left is holding a teacup, dangling a cigarette, and standing in the second circle obliquely, the words in his mouth rise with the smoke in his hand. Floating into the crowd. The chopsticks in Grandpa Xiong’s hand have increased the length of his fingers, and are like a weather vane, leading the mainstream of conversation. After a while, Yiru slowly walked around holding her mother’s arm and stopped by her father’s side. The whole family formed a whole. She was holding her mother’s arm with one hand and her father’s shoulder with one hand, wide open. Look at the people talking in the crowd. From time to time, other people join in, and eating is more than just eating. The adults talked about the crops, their own experiences or anecdotes that they heard, and the children talked about teachers, classmates, games, and essential homework.
What Xiaojie likes most is after dinner, Grandma Xiong and Auntie evacuated the tableware on the bamboo bed, the sky appeared with blurred stars, and the wind blew away the sweat on his face. After a few glasses of wine, Grandpa Xiong began to tell everyone ghost stories. He is an amateur hunter. In the middle of the night or dusk, he goes hunting in the mountains with tools in the middle of the night or dusk, and occasionally brings back a few pheasants or hares and weasels.
A group of people sat together under the starry sky, shaking the fan, the air was filled with the faint smell of sweat and the fragrance of leaves. Mai Xiaojie hid in her grandma’s arms, staring at Grandpa Xiong’s face with her eyes hanging out of her eyes. In the gloomy light and shadow, only a row of gleaming teeth could be seen on Grandpa Xiong’s dark face, and the cigarette butt in his hand flickered, like a ghost eye. Everyone was silent and listened quietly, and the fan suddenly froze in the air. The wind also eavesdropped on the ground, and the leaves stopped frolicking, holding their breath, and the night was a bit deeper.
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Everything is ready, Grandpa Xiong tilted Erlang’s legs, put one hand on his knee, and leaned forward slightly. He took a deep breath of cigarette, stopped the cigarette between his fingers in the air, and began to say: “I’ve really met this ghost thing a few times. The other day I went to Wang’s house in the middle of the night and walked into the mountains. Inside, the lights suddenly turned off. It was really hell, there was no moon, and it was dark everywhere, and the trees beside them suddenly began to sob and cry. The cry was first a small twitch, and then suddenly howled. From far and near, it seems to get straight into people’s hearts. Uh!”
Having said this, Grandpa Xiong suddenly slapped his thigh and shouted. Like a sudden thunder on the ground in a silent night, a flash of lightning flashed across everyone’s hearts, and the current suddenly covered their bodies. Grandpa Xiong leaned his face closer to the crowd, and his dripping eyes seemed to pop out of his eye sockets. Mai Xiaojie’s back felt cold, and he held grandma’s hand tightly. Grandpa Xiong sucked a cigarette and continued: “At this moment, a figure appeared on the hill opposite, and he couldn’t see clearly. I’m wondering, is there someone like me who also came here in the middle of the night to take the clip? Huh? Ah, I’ve always been alone. I’m wondering here, the shadow suddenly disappeared, I looked everywhere. Suddenly, scared! My mother! It’s just less than half a meter away from me, light and fluttering Yes, a white shadow! The long hair covered his face, hung on the ground and dragged, floating in the air without seeing his feet, it slowly approached me. I was so scared in a cold sweat, I thought, this is terrible. I’ve encountered a ghost, I’m afraid I’ll go back.”
Mai Xiaojie’s fingernails deepened into her grandma’s skin a little bit, staring at Grandpa Xiong’s face firmly. The gloomy cold air crawled on the back, the heart shrank into a ball, the surroundings were silent, and the air became thin and cold.
Grandpa Xiong stopped, was silent for a while, took a cigarette and continued: “This ghost, like a human, the weaker you are, the stronger it is. People are afraid of ghosts. A ghost is afraid of people. I think I can’t run away, so I just stand still, so I yelled: “Damn, running out in the middle of the night is scary, can you scare me? I am a big living being afraid that you, a dead person, will fail? Come here if you have the ability, let’s do a good job, don’t just stand there scary. “I actually braved the courage and didn’t dare to look at it. After a while, hey, the light suddenly turned on again and the tree stopped crying. I thought that the ghost was scared away by my aura.He hurriedly ran back, daring not to get the clip for a few days. “
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“Really? Are there really ghosts in the world? “The uncle stared and asked with a stern look on his face.
“The ghost I encountered was still a weak ghost. I used to take Sanyuan to go to the clip with me. To a ghost. Oops, that’s a real evil spirit, chasing us. If I was the only one or only Sanyuan, it would be miserable and I would definitely be caught by the evil spirit. “Grandpa Xiong knocked the blood-red cigarette butt in his hand on the stool twice, scanned the faces of people around him, and laughed loudly. The air seemed to solidify into cold ice. People couldn’t move in the ice. Shattered with a laugh, one after another fell from the air.
“I have never seen a ghost in my life, but once came back from my little daughter in the middle of the night and was shocked when I passed the hills. “Grandma Dong, who is next to Grandpa Xiong, embraced her sleeping grandson and continued, “It was the end of autumn, and my old man and I came back from our little daughter’s dinner. Our electric light doesn’t light up so much, it can only shine one or two meters away. It’s a coincidence, eh! That day, there was no moon in the sky, and no half of the star was seen. When I passed the pond on the hill, somehow, a sound that seemed to be crying and hissing floated from far to near. It, first far, I didn’t care. My old man was timid and said softly, “Hey, what is this calling, it’s not like a wild boar or a jackal.” He ran up to me in fear, holding the electric light, and headed forward. Run, leaving me behind, I thought, “It’s a coincidence, I haven’t seen a ghost in my entire life, can’t I see it today.” So I just waited to see, and continued to move forward, eh, that The sound is getting closer and closer, just like behind you, in your ears, in your body, crying as if to pull people away. Oops, my back suddenly felt cold, as if there was a person close to you on my back, with a cold body lying on your back. I see my old man, he is holding the light and just running ahead of him, several feet away from me. The anger in my heart, scared and cursed at the ghost: “What are you doing? Two people do you dare to be so fierce? What kind of ghost are you, so bold.” Eh! When I roared, the voice went away again. After that time, I understood that I was married to a wimp. “Grandma Dong said and laughed, her face full of wrinkles covering her deep-set eyes.
After listening, everyone laughed, Grandpa Xiong dangling cigarettes and said with a serious face: ” You are talking about that hill, there is really a ghost there. A few years ago, a pregnant woman died there. I heard that the death was terrible. “
“How did you die?” “
“I gave birth and died in those few years when fortunes were bad.” “
“Let me just say it, otherwise, why is it so fierce? It must be resentment in my heart, so I refuse to reincarnate!” “Grandma Dong’s face suddenly opened up.
Mai Xiaojie opened his eyes and looked around. Xiao Shi, Xiaofang, and Yiru all put their ears up, staring blankly at the talking grandfather Xiong.
“Grandma, I’m so sleepy, let’s go home and sleep!” Xiaojie looked up at her grandma and said.
“It’s so close, go back by yourself!” Grandma looked vigorous.
“I’m afraid, I’m afraid of ghosts!” Xiaojie grabbed grandma’s fingers.
Grandma chuckled softly: “Grandpa Xiong is telling a story. Where are the ghosts in the world? These are all scaring children.”
“Really? Why is it true that Grandpa Xiong said it?” Mai Xiaojie was full of doubts.
The chatting under the night sky continued, but Xiaojie fell asleep in her grandma’s arms unknowingly. When she fell asleep, I would have freedom, spread my wings and fly under the stars , To explore the ghost world, but unfortunately after a long time, no ghost shadow was seen.