Chu Yun flung open his sleeves and tugged at his coat. His face was covered in colorful oil paint as he made comical and exaggerated movements. The audience burst into laughter.
Pairs of crescent moons and yellow rotten teeth.
The autumn wind was refreshing, and the sky seemed especially high and blue.
After putting on a comical performance, the Yun Nation, which had once been difficult for nobles and nobles to get their hands on, continued to put on seven or eight performances of ridiculous acrobatics and comical performances that had no technical content at all. They were all sweating profusely.
When he finally got off the stage, Chu Yun's sweat had smeared the oil paint on his face.
He sat on the grass beside the straw platform and wiped his sweat with his dusty sleeves.
The old woman and sister-in-law looked at him and laughed.
The men were also happy.
An old man who was setting up the stage took a broken bowl and scooped some water for him. Chu Yun gulped it down in one gulp. Then he asked, "Why do you have to perform again?"
The old man said, "The Zhu family sent a madam who lives near the Martyr's Shrine. They said that they wanted to grant her grace and enter the ancestral hall to erect a memorial arch. The Zhu family invited the gods to perform a big play to worship their ancestors. Recently, they heard the world sing. Our village will join in the fun and perform a few more plays. "
Chu Yun looked at the bowl of muddy water that reflected his face covered in oil paint. "Sixth Young Mistress?"
The old man smiled, revealing a mouthful of broken teeth under his wrinkled lips. "I heard that she's the sixth."
As they were talking, a young woman who looked to be thirteen or fourteen years old passed by him carrying water. Her small feet walked very slowly. She wanted to stop and rest for a moment, but the bucket with a sharp bottom couldn't be put down at all. As a result, she was sweating all over, even more than Chu Yun.
When the old man saw this, he asked, "Second Sister, your mother-in-law asked you to fetch water again?"
The skinny and small second sister was wearing a tattered jacket. She had an oval face and looked very nimble. When she saw acquaintances asking her questions, she first raised her head to smile, but when she saw that it was two men, she quickly lowered her head and struggled to carry the water away.
Chu Yun said, "Who is she? I don't think she's among the people who often watch plays. "
The old man looked at her small feet and said, "She's from the Wang family village outside Pingyang County. It's popular there to bind feet. She is the new daughter-in-law that Second Sister-in-law Liang's family bought. "
Chu Yun knew about Second Sister-in-law Liang. She was a widow from the Zhu family's village. She had a sarcoma on her face and would always accompany her youngest son to watch the show. He had even delivered water to the troupe a few times.
Second Sister-in-law Liang had a hard life. Although her family was well off, her husband died when she was young. She only had a posthumous child in her family. She took her only son with her. Although her family had several mu of fields, several big animals, and could hire one or two people, because she was a widow, she did not trust anybody.
What's more, her only son was sickly. She often had to take care of her son, but not the fields. He only bought a wife.
Chu Yun frowned, "Second Sister-in-law Liang's son is only eight years old?"
The old man glanced at him and chuckled. "It's five years old."
Chu Yun didn't say anything. He worked in the countryside, so he knew that things like young husbands and child brides were considered normal by everyone.
Buying such an old daughter-in-law was like buying a laborer. When her son grew up, he could still consummate his marriage and save the money for a wife. If her son grew up and found this daughter-in-law too old, he could sell her and get another sum of money.
After resting for a while, the people above waved their hands and said that they were going to start singing. They asked if Chu Yun would come.
Chu Yun thought for a moment and stuffed the bowl in his arms into the old man's arms. With oil paint on his face, he ran away. "I'll go elsewhere and see if there's anyone who wants to act with me."
In the Zhu family's ancestral hall, which was a little further away from the Martyr Maiden Temple, gongs and drums were ringing.
Wang Ermei passed by the Martyr Maiden Temple while carrying water.
The Martyr Maiden Temple had a vermillion door and black tiles. There were two women with ghost faces at the door. One said that she was Ban Zhao, and the other said that she was the wife of a saint. She was also very virtuous. Looking in from the door, it was dark and there was no light at all. Only smoke and ash floated out.
Wang Ermei really couldn't take it anymore. Seeing that no one passed by the Martyr Maiden Temple, no one would complain to her mother-in-law. She also saw that there were two pits on the ground in front of the temple that could be used to put the point-bottomed buckets. She thought, I'll sit for a while. Just for a while.
When she sat down, Ermei smelled a little incense coming from the Martyr Maiden Temple.
The Martyr Maiden Temple was built for a chaste woman from the previous dynasty. Her unmarried husband died and she was willing to be buried with him. It was said that she was so sad that she cut herself more than a dozen times. At that time, the county magistrate felt that she was chaste and built a Martyr Maiden Temple with her husband's family.
Since then, all the chaste women in the vicinity would come to the Martyr Maiden Temple to worship an everlasting lamp and erect a memorial tablet. In the past hundred years, there were more than seventy lamps of various sizes. The incense was at its peak.
The nearby clans and villages all took pride in competing to see who had more lanterns in the Fierce Maiden Temple.
However, men were not allowed to enter the Martyr Maiden Temple. Ordinary young ladies and young wives, although they said that they admired it, they didn't take a step in. Whoever took half a step in would be beaten by their parents and husbands when they returned home.
The cleaning was also done by a few old widows who had half their bodies in the ground.
Half of it was because of its reputation, and the other half was because it was a taboo. Even children were not allowed to pass by the Martyr Maiden Temple.
Only young daughters-in-law like Wang Ermei, who didn't know anything, would sit on the doorstep and rest.
After sitting for a while, she was basking in the sun and sweating all over. Looking at the dark hole in the door, Ermei thought that it was probably very cool.
After thinking for a while, she suddenly heard a faintly discernible singing coming from the dark and gloomy door along with the ashes of incense.
The singing voice was very witty. Wang Ermei looked inside and asked, "Who is it?" She called out, but no one answered.
She sat for a while and couldn't resist the heat. She thought, I'm just going to ask the person inside for a bowl of water. So she went in.
Inside the Martyr Maiden Temple, there was no light because of the thick curtain all year round. It was dark all around.
Ermei went in to take a look and was shocked.
On both sides of the Martyr Maiden Temple, there were rows of female statues. Some were in hanging positions, some were burned to ashes, and some were bleeding from their mouths.
In the middle of the Martyr Maiden Temple, there were tablets of deities on the table.
The tablets of deities were arranged layer by layer and gradually reached the roof like a graveyard.
In front of each memorial tablet, there was a green and lustrous lamp.
In the darkness, there were only the flickering lights of the Everlasting Lanterns. They emitted a tragic light.
They were like the eyes of the dead.
She didn't dare to look at the hanging or burning statues. She only mustered up her courage and called out, "Is anyone there?"
Her voice echoed in the temple. Because the temple was dark and gloomy, the echo was drawn out. Combined with the flickering lights, it seemed like something was snickering.
Suddenly, the altar lamp beside the hanging statue of a woman went out. Then, the second one, the third one …
Ermei screamed and ran out.
When she was carrying water home, she was beaten up by her mother-in-law because she delayed her work.
Ermei was injured and pale. She went to ask someone about the Martyr Maiden Temple.
An old woman said in a low voice, "Hey! Who dares! If anyone dares to barge in and disturb the Martyr Maiden, they'll be breaking the rules of the Underworld! They'll be ruined for life. Even the Emperor of the Yang Realm praises the Martyr Maiden. This Underworld will definitely punish those who are disrespectful. "
Ermei was wearing a tattered jacket. She seemed to have thought of something and asked with a trembling voice, "How do we punish them?"
The old woman glanced at her harshly and said, "How do we punish them? Hey! Martyr Maiden Temple, Martyr Maiden Temple, what's this name? How do we punish them? Hey! "
The old woman's "hey" caused ermei to have a load on her mind. She was distracted every day.
Although a few days had passed, there was no news of the altar lamps going out.
However, after that, ermei would stand and listen to anyone who talked about the legend of the Martyr Maiden Temple. The more she listened, the worse her expression became.
Therefore, some people secretly talked about ermei in private.
Ermei was sold to the Liang Family by a landlord's father who owed a landlord in Pingyang County.
The Liang Family's second sister-in-law spent a liter of grain to buy her three-year-old son a daughter-in-law who was ten years older than him.
Ermei was an honest person. In order to repay her father's debt, she was very diligent in the Liang Family. She pulled the mill, cut grass, chopped firewood, collected manure, watered the fields, repaired the mud walls, and pulled cows for pears.
She did everything.
When the Liang Family's clansmen saw her, they all praised her for being more useful than a big animal and eating and using less than a hired farmer.
However, ermei liked to laugh too much. Therefore, she made a mistake.
She saw a peddler walking through the streets and alleys. He was really handsome. He looked like an acquaintance. Ermei couldn't help but laugh.
When she saw her young husband stumbling and calling her sister, she laughed again.
That night, the neighbors heard Liang Family's second sister-in-law call a few clansmen. Half the night, there were sounds of beating and screams in the house.
The rattle-drum shook for half the night. Ermei was beaten for half the night.
The next day, ermei ran away. She ran home.
With her small feet, she couldn't run far. She didn't run far before she was brought back. So she continued to beat her.
Ermei couldn't be beaten to death. Ermei still ran away.
She ran for the third time and was brought back. This time, Liang Family's second sister-in-law didn't beat her. She only told ermei: Her father owed the landlord rent and was afraid of being skinned, so he had already packed up and ran away. Her mother was beaten to death by the landlord's henchmen. If she dared to go back, she would be sold to a brothel and her father's debt would be repaid by the landlord.
This was confirmed by the villagers.
Liang Family's second sister-in-law took ermei to Pingyang County. She saw ermei's thatched hut from afar. The mud walls had collapsed, and the surroundings were filled with flies and feces. She couldn't see her parents anymore.
After that, Second Younger Sister never smiled again. She never ran away again.
Why did ermei hear about the legend of the Martyr's Shrine recently?
People secretly guessed: Because her young husband had been sick for a long time.
They didn't know what illness the Liang Family's youngest son had. He was lying on the bed with a bitter face. He was so thin that he slowly became like a small dehydrated bean sprout.
Liang Family's second sister-in-law went to the doctor to ask for medicine, but it was useless. She could only drag it out.
In this day and age, medicine was the most expensive. Ordinary people didn't dare to invite a doctor for a visit. If there was a patient in the family and they didn't want him to wait for death, it was only a matter of time before they spent all their wealth.
When people saw the Liang Family's youngest son's appearance, they all said that he was useless. They began to joke with ermei: "Did you break into the Martyr's Shrine? Then you'll have to go in and be a martyr. Look, what kind of statue do you want to make? Do you want to hang yourself? Or burn yourself? "
After ermei heard this, her oval-shaped face turned pale. Her sparse yellow hair fell again. She worked even harder.
But slowly, the Liang Family still sold the ox and donkey first. Then, not long after, because they bought medicine, they owed a large family a high interest debt.
Not long after, ermei was led by Liang Family's second sister-in-law to the Zhu Family's farmstead to work.
Liang Family's second sister-in-law introduced: "My daughter-in-law knows how to do everything. She's diligent and eats little. She's the most convenient. "
The head of the farmstead looked at her oval-shaped face and stayed.
Just like what Liang Family's second sister-in-law said. Although ermei was from the countryside, she worked efficiently and diligently. She could do any kind of rough work. Although her feet were bound, ordinary men were not as nimble as her. Therefore, the head of the farmstead treated her well.
However, she rarely ate or used anything. Usually, she sent the little savings back to the Liang Family. She was so hungry that her chin became sharper. But when she heard the news from the Liang Family that Liang's youngest son was still alive, her sallow face was able to perk up a bit.
But in the end, she was still sent back to her husband's house.
The head of the Zhu Family's farmstead did not say anything else. Therefore, when she returned, the neighbor's old woman chuckled and asked ermei: "Aren't you very capable? Why were you sent away again? "
Ermei did not answer. She seemed to have some kind of illness. Her face was even more sallow than before. Her chin was thinner and sharper. She did not know why, but she had gained a bit of weight. The first thing she did was to look at her young husband.
It turned out that her young husband, although on the verge of death, was still alive.
Liang Family's second sister-in-law hit her and scolded her for being useless. She actually breathed a sigh of relief.
People teased her: "What, you don't want to be a virtuous woman anymore?"
Even though Liang Family's second sister-in-law would get angry when she heard this, thinking that they were cursing her son. But people always thought that ermei was more interesting than Liang Family's second sister-in-law. They took advantage of the fact that Liang Family's second sister-in-law was not around to joke around.
Every time this happened, ermei would have her back turned to someone, lowered her head, and only cared about her work. It was so boring.
Liang Family's neighbor's old woman had a way.
One day, the clan law was enforced and a woman who did not abide by the virtue of being a woman was drowned in a pig cage. Ermei also came to see.
The old woman pointed at the pig cage and smiled secretly, "Second Younger Sister, I heard that the head of the manor treats you well? Ha! Being a virtuous woman and being worshiped, you'll be an animal in your next life after being thrown into a pig cage. "
Ermei's neck froze, and she suddenly looked like a dumb goose. After a long time, she howled and suddenly ran away.
Thus, people came up with new ways to tease the Liang Family.
From then on, ermei could not do much work. It seemed that her hands and feet were not very nimble, and she often hid from people. She was also very afraid of seeing the "deity" or the temple. She would hide when she saw the temple.
Fortunately, not long after, a big case occurred in the Zhu Family. It was related to the virtuous sixth young mistress. Even though they tried to cover it up, it still spread. The idle people completely forgot about the Liang Family's little fun.
Liang Family's second sister-in-law also did not have time to scold ermei. Because the Liang Family's youngest son's health was deteriorating day by day.
In the end, Liang Family's second sister-in-law invited the witch to the house.
That day, it was dusk.
Ermei stood next to the kang bed and watched the witch slowly walk into the room.
The witch was old and wrinkled, and the wrinkles on her face could pinch a fly to death. She wore colorful clothes with chicken feathers and held a peach wood sword. Her wrinkled face was painted with colorful ink.
In the dim room, two pairs of eerie red candles were lit, incense sticks were erected, and a green-faced ghost with fangs was hung up. She struck a gong and sprayed out talisman water.
The room was filled with red light and ghostly light.
Ah! She spat out a mouthful of talisman water, and a skull appeared on the yellow paper.
Ah! Then she saw a wooden knife stained with water cut down, and blood appeared on the paper figurine.
The painted face covered with oil and powder flashed in the eerie red light against the portrait of Zhong Kui behind her. Liang Family's son was so scared that he kept burping.
Gurgle, the ashes of the incense melted into the talisman water. The peach wood knife struck Liang Family's son's thin spine and drove away the ghost, creating a divine cure.
The next day, Du 'er entered the Martyr Maiden Temple again and quietly hid behind the statue of the Martyr Maiden Temple, eating the steamed buns and meat sent by the Yun Nation. Suddenly, she heard mournful music drifting in from outside. Amidst the gongs and drums, there was a woman crying and scolding at the same time. "It's all because of you, you jinx!"
Du 'er quietly looked outside and seemed to see a familiar figure. She was like Daiyu and had a photographic memory. When she saw that figure, she remembered that it was the young daughter-in-law who had barged into the Martyr Maiden Temple that day. She heard Yun Nation say that the girl who was being scolded and beaten by that woman was called ermei.
What happened to her? Du 'er remembered this ermei. She took a look at her when she put out the lanterns that day. Although she was a crude country bumpkin, she looked a little like Daiyu.
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