Chapter 18 Yin and Yang Twins (Part 2) Today's third update, seeking red tickets for support

  Her mother straightened up and said, "I've known this for a long time. The fortune teller told me that I would have two sons by my side all my life, but not long after you were born, your father left. I wanted to remarry, but you were so young, I couldn't bear to let you suffer with me. Having one son like you by my side is already very satisfying for this lifetime."

  "Mom, you've suffered," I said with a forced smile.

  "For the sake of the child, what's a little suffering?"

  "Mom, I still want to know."

  My mother looked at me, sighed and said: "Then I'll tell you. How your brother died is something that I regret the most in my life. Including being a vegetarian and chanting Buddhist scriptures, all started after your brother's death. It has been 27 years now."

  That year, it was a big collective time. Your father and I had just gotten to know each other for a short while before we got married, and after the marriage, your elder brother was born. When your elder brother was 9 years old, your father and I went back to your grandfather's hometown together. At that time, there was a very famous Old Huang Immortal in the village, and everyone in the village worshipped him at the ancestral temple. Your father insisted that I take your elder brother to pay respects.

  At that time, I didn't think much of it, but when I went there, I was stopped by the old man who watched the ancestral hall. He told me that my brother is not allowed to enter. I felt strange at that time and argued with him for a few sentences. The old man said that your brother's fate is destined to die young and will not be reincarnated after death. Because I am a twin, there must be one yin and one yang, two sons.

  I was young and angry at the time, so I had a fight with that old man. When I got back, I scolded your father severely once. No one took that matter seriously. Who would have thought that more than a month later, when you were ten years old, your brother suddenly convulsed all over and couldn't find any illness in the hospital.

  I and your father were at a loss, then old neighbor Geng grandma told me to find someone to take a look, if it was being misled by some evil thing. You should know that your grandfather was one of the Four Olds during the Cultural Revolution. At that time, I had an intense dislike for that thing from the bottom of my heart, not for anything else, but actually because I hated how your grandfather engaged in such a profession. And then I hated myself for not being able to save my own father. Many people back then went through similar experiences, and there were even those who personally broke their parents' arms and legs, following the Red Guards to renounce family relationships. The cruel things that happened were too many, too many. They had a profound impact on our generation.

  I handed over the cup of water I had poured for my mother, letting her moisten her throat. She took a sip and continued to tell the story.

  Old Lady Geng had found a fortune teller, Iron Mouth, who still remembered him to this day. He was dressed as a Taoist priest and lived in the Temple of Wealth God, which you probably don't know has been demolished for many years. Iron Mouth's surname was Zhang, also known as Zhang Tiezui or Zhang Half Immortal. When he saw your brother, he said his fate was doomed.

  At that time, the doctor didn't say your brother would die, just that he needed to be hospitalized for observation. Zhang Tie mouth cursed that your brother would die, I didn't even have the strength to scold him back then, and holding your brother, I turned around and left. At that time, it was Granny Geng who took me there, Granny Geng grabbed me and told me to listen to what Zhang Tie mouth had to say, see if there's a way to save your brother.

  This life, my greatest regret is not listening to Zhang Tie's words. I sat in front of him with a cold face, holding your brother, and listened to him say that your brother was not destined to die, but rather we had paid off the debt from our previous lives. He said that in our previous lives, he had saved my life once, so this life I owed him one. However, your brother was an evil person in his past life, and heaven did not allow him to continue being human. Zhang Tie said that if we wanted your brother to live safely, the best way would be to invite a Bodhisattva back home. Invite a Bodhisattva to come back and bless your brother to pass his 10th birthday, then it will be okay. Then he asked me to take a few yellow papers, kneel in front of the stove, and chant sincerely, as for what to say, it's up to me. If inviting a Bodhisattva has no effect within a week, immediately invite a Guardian Deity.

  At this point, my mother burst into tears! I could clearly feel the remorse in her heart.

  But my mother's narrative didn't end there, she continued: After I brought your brother back home, I didn't invite the Bodhisattva or the Guardian Deity. As a result, one month passed and on his 10th birthday, he was gone. At that time, I was so stunned, it felt like the sky had collapsed and the earth had sunk in. If it weren't for your father, I think I would have died too. For so many days, I didn't eat or drink, relying solely on your father to feed me rice porridge bit by bit, pulling me back from the brink of death. I regret it to death! If only I hadn't been so stubborn, maybe your brother would still be alive today.

  After your brother's death, I went to Caishen Temple to find Zhang Tie MOUTH.

  Zhang Tiezui told me that your brother didn't leave, because in this life I have a twin fate, so he will always be by my side. It's best to ask a Bodhisattva immediately and ask clearly about your brother's birth eight characters. Zhang Tiezui cut open his own finger and mine, mixed with cinnabar wrote a symbol, told me to go home and hide it away. Every year on the day your brother died, worship him.

  I still didn't take it seriously, but in just a few days, things started to go wrong at home. Either the electrical appliances would catch fire on their own, or the rice wouldn't cook even after steaming for hours. What really made my heart skip a beat was that several times while I was working at the factory, problems would occur out of nowhere and we almost had production accidents multiple times. It wasn't until then that I remembered Zhang Tie's warning. From then on, I started to fast and chant Buddhist scriptures again, and hid your brother's birth date and time. Every year on his death anniversary, I would secretly make offerings to him once.

  Later, I secretly ran to Zhang Tie's place and asked him clearly. Your brother is a ruthless ghost who died unjustly and was reborn. He came to the world of humans and didn't want to leave, so he clings to me and won't let go. Because I didn't give him a chance to die at 10 years old, he harbors resentment in his heart. Zhang Tie used his blood, my blood, mixed with cinnabar to trap your brother's soul inside. As long as there is a Bodhisattva statue at home, there won't be any problems.

  Then came you, but in just a few years, your father left. Zhang Tiezu had died before you were born. Geng Nainai also passed away early on. But this matter has always been a stone weighing on my heart. I was the one who wronged your older brother and also wronged your father. If it weren't for your father constantly thinking of your older brother, he wouldn't have left so early.

  After listening to mom saying so much, I hugged her tightly and said: "Mom, everything will be fine later."

  Mom smiled and said, "Yes, you've grown up. My mission in this life is almost half accomplished. When you get married and have kids, I'll help take care of the little ones for both of you."

  I laughed and said: "Where is it so fast? I don't even know who my wife is."

  Mom said: "Your college classmate Wen Yi is pretty good, she's beautiful and was your classmate, and took care of you when you were in school."

  I said: "Mom, don't worry about this. You just live well and there will be a day when you can hold your grandson."

  After comforting my mother a few more words, I left her room and returned to my own room.

  I went in and saw that Ye Yi was already lying on my bed asleep.