Chapter 3: The Oath of Brotherhood at the Land Temple

Initially, my understanding of this immortal being was limited to those old men with white beards, dressed in flowing robes. However, upon entering the room, I was amused to find that this immortal was utterly out of place, sitting on the floor peeling potatoes. Most surprisingly, this legendary immortal turned out to be a middle-aged woman

This person was running with me at great speed, and in a short while, we reached the railway line. (The railway line runs through the village and is very close to it.) We continued to run along the railway line, and at that moment, a train was approaching. I looked up in his arms and saw the train engine was very close to us, the train was continuously blowing its horn, but the man seemed to be deaf to it, running headlong towards the train. Just as we were about to collide with the train, I was suddenly thrown out and fainted tragically by the side of the railway.

There is a child in the village named Matt, who is the same age as I am, and another one named Gao Budian. The three of us get along very well

Thus, I recounted everything from the moment I became sworn brothers with him to the events that followed. After listening, both my mother and my aunt stared at me in astonishment. It was my aunt who reacted first, hurriedly going to inform the elders of both families to go to the land temple to offer their apologies.

At this moment, my mother also came to her senses and slapped me, saying, "You little brat, what are you so proud of? Why are you jumping on the ox cart? Is there nothing else fun to do? Go play on the ox cart then?" Fearing another slap, I told the people in the room about my encounter with the old lady

As the three of us were playing, we felt a special camaraderie, so I suggested that we perform a ritual of brotherhood. (This ritual refers to the act of swearing brotherhood, akin to the Peach Garden Oath.) The other two were also of the same mind and said, "There is a land deity temple at the village entrance; let us go there to pay our respects."

I cautiously tested my legs to see if I could move, and then slowly stood up. At that moment, my mother also woke up. Seeing me standing, she asked if I could walk. I walked a circle on the kang, and to my surprise, there was really nothing serious; there wasn't even a mark on my knees after rolling up my pant legs.

The one driving the car was my uncle's brother-in-law, and at that moment, I was also stunned. There was no time to chase the cow; he picked me up and ran home. I was so frightened that my soul felt detached; I couldn't cry or speak.

Matt's mother was right there, watching her son who still didn't understand what was happening. She approached and slapped him. At that moment, Matt and *Tu* were so upset that they couldn't even cry, only tears streamed down their faces. When she moved her hand away, I was shocked to see that his entire neck was swollen to nearly the size of his head, and the same went for the other side. I was still fine, but the adults surrounded me, asking where we had been and what had happened to the two of them.

So I said to the two of them: "When we bow and make a pledge of brotherhood, shouldn't we have incense and offerings? What kind of bowing is it without anything?" They thought about it and agreed, but what should we offer? A few aimless little children, with neither money nor anything else.

After saying that, the woman shivered and fell straight onto the kang. After a long while, she got up with a pale face. After my mother expressed her immense gratitude, she placed some money under the incense burner (immortals generally do not accept money; they rely on offerings, so giving a dime is not considered too little, and giving ten thousand is not considered too much). After leaving the immortal's home, we stayed at my grandfather's house for another two days. Since I had not taken out that glass ball, my mother no longer pressured me to drink various oils.

Everyone in the room was stunned after hearing this. My cousin, fearing he would be held responsible, hurriedly claimed that I was lying, as none of the children had seen an old lady in front of the ox cart

Mother and my aunt sat by the kang, wiping their tears. When they saw that I had woken up, my mother began to scold me again: "You little brat, why do you have to worry people so much? If it weren't for your aunt being by the fire today, you would have been hit by a train."

When we got closer and took a look, we were stunned

Upon hearing this, I finally understood that you are indeed a pimp. When there is a matter, you go to burn incense, asking the deity to resolve your issues, and then after the deity leaves, you remain to collect the money. It seems that this deity is also part of the exploited class, only knowing how to work.

While I may have my thoughts, I still need to enjoy myself, right? So I climbed onto another ox cart and sat on the yoke behind the ox's rear.

My aunt hurriedly went up to embrace my grandfather, saying, "Dad, what are you doing? We still don't know what the child is like. How could you bear to strike?"

Upon hearing this, the mother repeated what she had just said. The deity shook his head and said: "It's nothing serious. The celestial being just inquired about the departed spirit, and it turns out this child has two grandmothers. They died a long time ago, and since they are all waiting for the old man to descend, he hasn't been reincarnated. Alas! This child is young and weak, yet he has developed a peculiar bone that attracts wandering spirits. Moreover, both grandmothers are fond of their little grandson and often visit him. It's nothing to worry about; these two grandmothers have been looking after you all along. Otherwise, given what that boy did yesterday by offering horse dung at the earth god's temple, he would have faced serious consequences. After you return, you should buy some good offerings for the earth god's temple as a gesture of respect, and this matter will be settled."

I said: "It shouldn't be my concern, it was the person in black who carried me away. I also know that my small frame is no match for a train"

At this moment, Grandpa also came out wearing a coat. Upon seeing the situation, he said: "Xiujun (my mother's nickname), you should take this wild chicken back. Stew it for the children to eat tomorrow. She is concerned about the children."

At this moment, I fully embodied the spirit of burning paper offerings at the grave to deceive the spirits, and I found a few horse dung balls. Those who have seen them know that horse dung balls are quite similar to small steamed buns, just differing in color

Children inherently lack patience; after watching the yangge dance, the three of us ran off to play. Since we were in the countryside, there was no one to supervise where the children went or what they played. When it got dark, everyone returned home.

My mother's vacation arrived, and she took me back to her home. Perhaps it was fate, but in March, after the New Year, the glass ball in my belly was indeed expelled. I don't know if it really has anything to do with some deity. I recovered from my illness, and my mother managed to transfer her job to a new unit through connections, but a series of even more bizarre events occurred at this new unit

Then, the wheel of a cart loaded with manure rolled over my small knee

My aunt had just stepped aside when my grandfather came up and gave me a hard slap. It was then that I started to cry loudly. My grandfather looked at my leg and, after I had calmed down a bit, asked me: "Can you stand up?"

After a simple ceremony, it was almost dark. The three of us prepared to head back. Just as we were about to enter the village, Gao Bu Dian suggested that we should remove the tribute from Gong Ping. Otherwise, if any official sees it tomorrow and knows it was us who did it, wouldn't they skin us alive?

I stumbled and ran back in fright. When I reached the village convenience store, I turned around and saw that both of them were clutching their throats, unable to speak, making muffled sounds.

My mother hurriedly inquired about my illness again, and the fortune teller said: "Go back, and don't trouble the child anymore. If my calculations are correct, he will recover before May of next year"

As I looked up, I saw an old lady standing in front of me again. This time I could see clearly that she was wearing a black cotton coat, but her face was still not very clear. She kept waving at me, and I thought to myself that I might have caught you this time

That night, something unusual happened. My mother and I were in the west room, preparing to take off our clothes and go to bed, when we suddenly heard the sound of the window glass shattering. My mother and I hurried outside to see if some neighbor's child had been naughty and broken it, only to find two wild chickens that had been killed lying under the window.

The beast ran forward as if mad, and with a single tumble, it knocked me to the ground

Then, following the example on the television, recite together: "I, so-and-so, today testify before the Land Lord, acknowledging that we are sworn brothers of different surnames. From now on, we shall share blessings and face difficulties together."

After about two or three minutes, the head lowered, and the body began to sway rhythmically. At that moment, a sound resembling a cat's paw scratching glass emerged from the mouth of the great immortal, saying: "What brings you here? I am quite busy; if you have something to say, please do so quickly"

At that moment, my grandfather pushed my aunt aside and said, "You silly girl, what do you know? Hurry, give him another slap; it will be easy to scare the child silly if you wait too long"

At that time, both of my parents were working, and I was the only child in my family. From the perspective of the country, I was a quality outcome of the family planning policy, and in the rural context, I was the treasured gem of the Wang family.

The next morning, although I still had a slight fever, I felt much better. My mother, my aunt, and my cousin took me to Maogou Village. Upon arriving in the village, we inquired about the residence of the Daxian family and hurried there.

It is said that around 8 o'clock in the evening, they appeared to be just fine, as if nothing had happened. But I was in trouble, running a high fever and constantly babbling nonsense.

This is truly strange. Although it is said that wild chickens are abundant in the countryside at this time, those wild chickens have long since settled down in their nests during the dark of night. What reason could there be for them to crash into someone's window at such an hour?

After we entered, the master did not even lift his head and said, "What do you wish to ask?" My mother then briefly recounted the recent events to the master. The woman was quite straightforward; she stood up and said, "You all wait here while I go to offer incense. In a moment, when you see the master possess me, just repeat what you just said to her, and the master will provide you with answers."

The three of us hopped and skipped to the land temple, and as we knelt down to prepare for our worship, I suddenly felt that something was amiss

As soon as I mentioned my true feelings, I jumped out of the car in a fit of anger. It's no wonder that misfortunes seem to find me.

I thought about it for a moment and hurriedly turned back. As I approached, I saw white smoke rising from the earth god temple. It scared me terribly, as I thought the temple was on fire. But then I realized, wait a minute, I didn't light any incense; I just inserted three stalks of mugwort, so how could it catch fire

Just as my feet firmly landed and I was ready to don the national flag and display my might, things went awry.

Then, the deity was worshipped with incense, kneeling facing west and bowing three times. After that, she lit a cigarette and sat cross-legged on the edge of the kang with a bottle of liquor. She took a big gulp of the liquor (approximately 3 taels; in Northeast China, a high alcohol content means that being able to drink 3 taels in one go is quite impressive). Then, she started yawning one after another, and with a few puffs, she finished one cigarette and quickly lit another. She took another big gulp of the liquor (approximately 3 taels; in Northeast China, a high alcohol content means that being able to drink 3 taels in one go is quite impressive). Then, she started yawning one after another, and with a few puffs, she finished one cigarette and quickly lit another.

When so many adults surrounded me, I was also bewildered. With a loud cry, I burst into tears. At that moment, as I cried and squinted my eyes, I saw a person in black standing in front of me. Without saying a word, they picked me up and ran away.

It turned out that my aunt was drinking from a ditch by the railway tracks. When she looked up, she saw me running towards the train head along the tracks. At that moment, my other aunt panicked and rushed over, pushing me down from the tracks just as the train sped past. This act saved my life. However, my mother claimed she didn't see anyone carrying me and said that I ran over by myself, and I was running so fast that even she couldn't catch up.

That strength, www.hetushu.com, how overwhelming it is. No matter how I struggled, it was all in vain. At that moment, I didn't know what was happening; I just felt that I needed to find my mother. I had to break free from him; I couldn't let him hold onto me, but where could I run to

The horse manure was splattered everywhere, and not a single stalk of mugwort was ignited, yet smoke was rising. In front of me was an abandoned stone quarry; friends from the countryside know that land temples are usually built in relatively desolate areas. It is impossible for anyone to come here in such a short time

Thus, after spending a few days at my grandfather's house, (sometimes I really wonder if I was hallucinating due to drinking various oils too much at that time), one evening, when the small shops in the countryside played music at night, a group of old and young men were dancing the Yangge. My mother took me to watch.

At that moment, Grandfather sighed and asked where the incident with the cart driver had occurred. The cart driver replied, "It happened on the old dirt path at my family's graveyard." Grandfather pondered for a while and said, "Oh, what a sin! After so many years, she still cannot let go of her past. Well, as long as the child is fine, I will go talk to her tomorrow. She shouldn't keep disturbing the child; after all, this child is also her grandson, so it's no wonder she cherishes him. From now on, keep an eye on the child and don't let him run off to play in the graveyard." After saying this, Grandfather walked away with his hands behind his back. Well, as long as the child is fine, I will go talk to her tomorrow. She shouldn't keep disturbing the child; after all, this child is also her grandson, so it's no wonder she cherishes him. From now on, keep an eye on the child and don't let him run off to play in the graveyard. After saying this, Grandfather walked away with his hands behind his back. (My relationship with Grandfather has always been poor; I cannot quite explain why, but I just feel that he is not close to me.)

After arriving home, my aunt and my mother were chatting. Upon hearing the news about the bus, my mother was so frightened that she fainted. I lay there, completely still, neither crying nor laughing. My aunt, in tears, ran to find my grandfather. A short while later, my grandfather heard the news and rushed over. Upon entering the room and seeing me like this, he immediately slapped me.

Later, Grandpa, Aunt, and Uncle all arrived. The group discussed and said: "Let's go to Mao Gou tomorrow (Mao Gou is the name of a neighboring village). I heard there is a very effective shaman there."

Arrange the horse dung balls properly, insert 3 sticks of mugwort, and we just knocked it down with one blow

After waking up, I found myself on the kang at my aunt's house. Gao Budian and Mate had gone to the clinic, but the doctor was at a loss, administering anti-inflammatory injections. Both children were not in serious condition; they just had severe swelling in their necks, and aside from being unable to speak, their breathing was normal