Many people have seen a movie by Stephen Chow called "A Chinese Ghost Story", which tells the story of Yu Lans night.
Although the seventh day of the lunar month is said to be quite frightening in folklore, its actually just a simple ritual in Chen Wenbins view. He never expected that this times seventh day would cause such a big commotion.
Seven days later, He Lao brought Cha Wenbin and Wang Furen back to their hometown again. According to the previous arrangement, they set up a memorial tablet and offerings in the main hall of Wang Laos house, with a portrait of the deceased in the middle. Wang Furen also had an elderly mother who was still alive, namely Wang Laos wife, whom others called Li Bao Bao.
That afternoon, everyone was eating together in the same place, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The Wang familys house was a two-story small building, with a staircase leading directly to the second floor from the main room. According to prior agreement, after dark, they would start performing the ritual, and at midnight, Cha Wenbin would lead Wang Xin outside to invite Old Man Wang in, then everyone inside would hide upstairs and turn off the lights, waiting until Cha Wenbin gave a signal before turning them back on.
After dark, after dinner, the Wang family was also bustling with people. The children and grandchildren added up to thirty or so, although this person cannot be revived, after all, Mr. Wang is already at such an old age, everyone can accept it, only Mrs. Li is a bit sad, after all, they have lived together for seventy years, how can they bear to part with each other?
Cha Wenbin naturally followed the routine, first sticking a guiding symbol on the gate, fearing that Wang Lao would really come back and not find his own home. He specially told the yincha (spirit servant) that this was the destination. The children and grandchildren also burned paper and incense in front of Wang Laos spirit tablet and portrait. It didnt take long to finish. After they were done, a group of people sat there chatting, waiting for the time to arrive.
As the clock struck twelve, Cha Wenbin carried a lantern and brought Wang Xin to the entrance of Old Man Wangs house. They stood there for the welcoming ceremony. At the crossroads, they burned some hell money as a red envelope for the yin messengers. Meanwhile, the lights in Old Man Wangs house, about 100 meters away, went out on schedule.
Although it was Wang Xins grandfather who had died, in this situation, he couldnt help but feel a little scared. He stood tightly by Cha Wenbins side and didnt dare to make a sound. The villagers all knew that tonight was the seventh night after the death, so every household turned off their lights. Men who liked to hunt or play cards had all gone to bed early with their wives. Even the most mischievous children didnt dare to come out tonight. Adults warned them not to run around and bump into anything. The night was quiet, without even the sound of a dog barking. It was so dark that you couldnt see your fingers in front of your face. The entire village was pitch black, except for the red lantern in Cha Wenbins hand and the two candles lit in front of Wang Lao Yes spirit tablet.
Cha Wenbin didnt say a word, closing his eyes to feel the surroundings. At this midnight hour, opening and closing ones eyes made little difference anyway. Suddenly, the wind chime on his hand rang out with a clear "ding-dong" sound, signaling Old Master Wangs return. This startled Wang Xin half to death; he couldnt walk or run, only tightly grasping Cha Wenbins clothes. He reckoned that after this task, he would never want to take another one again.
Cha Wenbin turned around, facing the Wang familys house, holding a lantern and ringing a bell every ten meters or so, muttering some incantations to open the way for the gods and ghosts, telling them that they had arrived and should hurry in.
As they walked to within fifty meters of Old Man Wangs house, Cha Wenbin and Wang Xin both faintly heard the sound of crying. Although it was quite far away, they could still make out that the cry was none other than Li Babao, who had lost her husband.
Isnt this Mrs. Li still downstairs in the mourning hall?
Cha Wenbin furrowed his brow and quickened his pace, wanting to hurry up and remind them to go upstairs, but he couldnt shout here, in case he startled the yin messengers and they ran into someone elses house, which would be a big deal.
As for Lis wife, since Cha Wenbin took Wang Xin out, everyone in that house had been obediently turning off the lights and going upstairs. They were all crowded in one room and didnt dare to make a loud noise. Mrs. Wang was afraid that her mother-in-law, Lis wife, would suffocate, so she let her sit by the window. Suddenly, someone shouted, and everyone discovered that Lis wife was not there. This caused panic, and they went downstairs to look for her. Indeed, they heard Lis wife crying in front of the ancestral tablet:
"Old man, ah, youre coming back tonight, take me with you too, if you leave, how can I live alone, Ill wait for you here..."
Mrs. Li cried so bitterly that she was heartbroken, and it was also very moving. On the seventh night of her husbands death, Mrs. Li wailed like this. When Mrs. Wang saw this, she hurriedly went down to pull her up, but Mrs. Li didnt know whether she was overcome with grief or determined to see Mr. Wang, so she hugged the leg of the table and wouldnt let go. No matter how hard Mrs. Wang pulled and tugged, she just said that the old lady didnt budge an inch.
The person upstairs saw Zhang Wenbins eyes and was about to reach the gate, shouting at the people below: "Hurry up, theyre almost here, what are you still doing down there?"
This shout, not to mention the people downstairs heard it, but also naturally heard clearly by Cha Wenbin outside. When he was less than five meters away from the gate, Cha Wenbin still heard the crying sound, and could only loudly shout: "People inside, hurry up!"
This shout directly startled Mrs. Li, and the old lady let go of her hand. As soon as she did, Madame Wang pulled her towards the stairs, with Old He continuing to pull her up from above. Just as Madame Wangs foot stepped onto the stairs, everyone felt a gust of cold wind blow by, followed by a loud "thud". What happened? Madame Wang had fallen straight down, landing right in front of the mourning hall. Zhang Wenbin also heard it, and although he couldnt see anything, he naturally understood what had occurred. He shouted loudly: "Not good!"
He immediately took out the Taishan Jade Seal and placed it on the table where the offerings were, hoping to calm down the evil spirits. Then he shouted: "Turn on the lights! Turn on the lights, everyone come down!"
Dazzling fluorescent lights illuminated the mourning hall in a snowy white, in front of it, Mrs. Wangs eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling, having lost all consciousness...
At this moment, everyone else didnt dare to breathe, especially Lis wife, who implicated her own daughter in the matter. Her face turned white with fear. He Lao immediately knelt down and begged of Cha Wenbin: "Wenbin, you have to save her!"
Zha Wenbin snapped his fingers and calculated, a Soul-Fixing Charm was scattered in the air. This charm didnt fall to the ground like it usually did, instead it floated straight out of the door...
"Helplessly shaking his head, he said: Hurry up and send him to the hospital! Im afraid its too late for me!"
Before long, the ambulance arrived. Due to He Laos connections in the provincial city, the best doctors were dispatched. Two hours later, the doctor informed the family that it was a cerebral hemorrhage and the success rate of surgery was less than 1%, suggesting they prepare for the worst...
Such an operation, you ask if its done or not, I can only say that even if its done, its still futile, and it would also make Madame Wang suffer another blow before her death. After the family members discussed it, they could only resign themselves to fate. Old He couldnt withstand the blow of losing his partner and immediately fainted, and was rushed into the emergency room next door.
Old Wang also came and saw Cha Wenbin there. He asked him what was going on, but Cha Wenbin just didnt say anything. Whats going on here is naturally understood in his heart.
On the night of the return of the soul, the ghosts who come back have actually drunk Meng Pos soup and are mostly brought back by the yin messengers to go through the motions. They fear that some deceased with strong wishes in their hearts cannot forget their past lives, so they take them on this trip.
Those who can die after drinking Meng Pos soup and still remember it for a long time, if they dont come to repay their vows, will likely become resentful spirits, also known as evil ghosts. This underworld still has some human emotions, preventing the existence of evil spirits that cannot reincarnate, which is why they come to this seventh day
This old king is already advanced in years, his lifespan has come to an end, and according to reason, he shouldnt have any grudges. Even if he cant remember that this was his home when he was alive, its not like he would drag his own daughter down with him for burial. Unfortunately, they left too quickly, even though Zha Wenbin rushed out the big seal, he didnt make it in time to stop them. As for the sinister intentions behind this, Zha Wenbin has been thinking deeply about it.
Will the next trip to the underworld be to take someone? Cha Wenbin, who has gone through the pain of losing his daughter, will not do this again. Humans have their own rules, ghosts have their own rules, and thats how it is in heaven. If you want to go against heaven, who knows what price youll pay in the future.
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