On that day, the sky was as cloudy as the bottom of the pot, the wind blew like a knife, and it was so cold that people shivered.
The mountain was foggy, as if the mountain was covered with an invisible quilt, and those graves, from a distance, looked like small islands in the sea, lonely, strange and scary.
Li Dazui muttered in his heart: "This unlucky weather, I didn't pick a good time to go out." ”
Along the way, Li Dazui's mouth never stopped, muttering as he walked: "I said God, the Qingming Festival is a big deal, what are you doing?"
Do you want our ancestors to live in peace?
This road is full of potholes, and my old bones are about to fall apart. He shook his head as he spoke, but he didn't dare to stop his steps, for fear of delaying the hour and disrespecting his ancestors.
As he was walking, Li Dazui's feet slipped, and the whole person was like a tree without roots, he threw himself forward, the bamboo basket in his hand flew out, and the sacrifices were scattered all over the ground.
He groaned, wanted to get up, a sharp pain in his mouth, touched, ouch hey, his front teeth fell off!
Blood trickled down the corners of his mouth and dripped on the mud floor, seeping into it at once, as if the earth was desperate for his blood.
Li Da's mouth grinned in pain, and the grievance in his heart was really bitter and unspeakable.
He scolded in his heart: "This damn thing, I can't worship my ancestors, but I will suffer a crime, I am really unlucky to go home!" ”
Just as I was about to get up to clean up, I suddenly heard a low whimper, coming from the fog, the sound was intermittent, and it made people's hearts furious when they listened to it.
Li Dazui's heart tightened, and he looked around, but he couldn't see anything except the fog.
He swallowed his spit and plucked up the courage to shout, "Who?
Who's pretending to be a ghost there?
Get out of here! The voice echoed in the mountains, but no one answered.
The whimper, it seems, is closer, louder.
Li Dazui was scared in his heart, and his legs and stomach trembled, but when he thought about it, he was also a man, and he couldn't let this idea scare him.
He took a deep breath, picked up the offerings on the ground, and continued to walk towards the ancestral tomb.
With each step, the whimper became clear, as if something was quietly following his ass, sneaking in on his every move.
At this moment, pictures suddenly popped up in Li Dazui's mind: when he was a child, his grandfather squatted on the threshold and told him the stories of the spirits in the mountains and forests; When his father was alive, he led him to worship his ancestors and taught him to respect nature and ancestors.
These memories rushed over him like waves, and his heart was beating a drum, could it be that he came across it today, it was the things in those stories?
He stopped, closed his eyes, folded his hands, and said silently in his heart: "The ancestors and the ancestors are above, if there is really a spirit, bless me with peace and security, and let me do the work of worshipping my ancestors smoothly." As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly opened his eyes, only to see that the whimpering sound was magically gone, and the surroundings were as quiet as a graveyard.
Li Dazui was stunned, and then quickened his pace, and his heart was up and down.
Finally, he went to his ancestral grave and worshiped them one by one according to the old rules.
On the way back, the strange whimpering sound was never heard again, but the doubts and uneasiness in his heart were like shadows, and he couldn't get rid of them. "This Qingming ancestor worship really responds to the old saying, 'I'd rather believe it than believe it'." Li Dazui pondered as he walked, and secretly made up his mind in his heart, next year will be Qingming, and he will have to pick a good day for whatever he says, and he can't be so casual anymore.
As for what happened in the mountains and forests that day, Li Dazui later occasionally mentioned one or two sentences to his family in the dead of night, but more of it became a knot in his heart that could never be untied, and with the passage of time, it slowly sank to the deepest part of his memory.
Well, let's keep chatting.
After Li Dazui came back from that day, the whole person seemed to have changed as if he was a different person, and his usual mouth that loved to talk and laugh was now closed tightly all day long, and he hardly opened his mouth except for necessary communication.
The people in the village said that he had "collided with evil spirits", and there were many discussions in private, and some even specially invited the old shaman in the village to exorcise evil spirits for him.
The old shaman is an old man with a white beard, but his eyes are very bright, and he seems to be able to see through people's hearts at a glance.
He listened to the description of the villagers, shook his head, and said, "This matter is evil, but it is not necessarily the work of ghosts and gods.
There are thousands of knots in people's hearts, and sometimes, it is you who wrap yourself into it. When Li Dazui heard this, his heart was shocked, as if he had been touched by something.
He hesitated, but decided to invite the old shaman to his house and talk about it.
That night, the moonlight was thin, and only a dim oil lamp was lit in the courtyard.
The old shaman sat opposite Li Dazui, with a pot of hot tea between the two, and the atmosphere was particularly solemn. "Great nephew," the old shaman began, his voice low and powerful, "I probably know what happened to you in the mountains that day. "Oh, you're really stumped me with that.
Li Dazui, this buddy, is usually very aggressive, but this time he was stunned to ask the old shaman, and he was stunned. "I.
.
.
I can't really tell. He was stumbling, and in his heart he felt like something was following him from behind.
The old shaman hid a knife in his smile, the corners of his mouth were raised, and his eyes revealed a bit of deep meaning. "You kid, the knot in your heart hasn't been unraveled." He said slowly, "Worshipping our ancestors during the Qingming Festival is a serious matter for us to remember our ancestors and express our sorrows.
It's good that you complain along the way, disrespecting your ancestors and nature, no, you have attracted those 'unclean' things. ”
As soon as Li Dazui heard this, his face turned red, like a ripe apple.
He lowered his head, and his eyes did not dare to meet the old shaman's eyes. "I.
.
.
I just said it casually, but it didn't come to pass.
.
.”“ Casual talk? The old shaman immediately interrupted him, "You can't talk nonsense, especially at times like these.
Do you know that every grass and tree, every stone and soil in this mountain forest has spirituality?
If you are disrespectful to them, they will naturally not give you a good face. ”
Li Dazui was silent, he recalled the scene in the mountains and forests that day, and his attitude was indeed a little inappropriate.
He began to wonder if the strange whimpering sound might really be a portrayal of his inner fear and uneasiness.
When the old shaman saw that he was touched, he continued to enlighten: "O great nephew, the most important thing for a person to live in this world is to be in awe.
Reverence for nature, reverence for life, and even more awe for those who have passed away.
Although they are no longer there, their souls are still guarding this home and this land. ”
Li Dazui listened, and his heart suddenly brightened.
He suddenly understood that what happened in the mountains and forests that day was actually a reminder to himself to always maintain a heart of awe.
Early the next morning, Li Dazui got up, carried the newly prepared offerings, and set out on the road to the ancestral grave again.
This time, his mood was particularly calm, and the smile on his face was long gone.
In the mountains and forests, the fog is still swirling, but Li Dazui is no longer afraid.
He walked firmly, and every step he took seemed to be in dialogue with his own heart, reconciling with himself.
When he arrived at the ancestral grave, he solemnly knelt down and worshiped one by one.
This time, he did not complain again, but reverently told his thoughts and gratitude to his ancestors.
After the worship, he stood up and took a deep breath of fresh air, which was called a relaxation and a relief in his heart.
Since then, Li Dazui seems to have changed as a person, not only more harmonious to his family, but also more friendly to his neighbors.
He often said: "The most important thing in this life is to be in awe, so that you can go further and live more clearly." He slowly forgot about that incident in the woods.
When others mentioned it, he always waved his hand happily and said, "That's all about Chen Sesame and rotten grain, what are you doing with it." But in his heart, it was like a mirror, always reminding him that he had to maintain a heart of awe, respect for nature, respect for life, and respect for those relatives who had gone away.
Time flies, and it's Qingming season again.
Li Dazui set foot on the road to the ancestral grave again, this time his heart was full of warmth and strength.
He knows that no matter how difficult the road ahead is, as long as there is love and awe in his heart, nothing can stop him.
The forest that once frightened him was now the most sacred place in his heart.
Because there, he found himself, and he also found his love and awe for the day.
Okay, let's move on.
Since that Qingming Festival, Li Dazui's life has become like a new color, and his life has become more and more enjoyable.
He has become a busy man in the village, who has a happy event, they all love to find him to cook, saying that the dishes made by Li Dazui taste good, and he can also eat a "harmony".
But Li Dazui knew in his heart that this "harmony" did not fall out of thin air.
He always told people that he had to pay attention to the word "harmony" in life, and he had to be in harmony with the sky, the earth, and people, and himself.
It sounds simple, but it's hard to do, especially with yourself, what a lot of heart and courage.
In the blink of an eye, it was another year of Qingming.
This time, Li Dazui began to prepare early, he wanted to take the whole family to worship his ancestors, so that the younger generations could also feel this solemnity and awe.
On the day of Qingming, before the sky was clear, Li Dazui took his daughter-in-law, children, and a few young men from the family, and a large group of people set off.
Along the way, they talked and laughed, but when they reached the edge of the forest, everyone consciously quieted down, as if they were infected by something intangible.
In the forest, the breath of spring is strong, and everything is recovering.
Li Dazui took his family and walked along the winding path to the ancestral tomb step by step.
His heart was full of gratitude, gratitude to this land for nurturing him, gratitude to the protection of his ancestors, and even more grateful that the experience allowed him to find the true meaning of life.
When he arrived at the ancestral grave, Li Dazui first made a pious worship, and then asked the children in the family to take turns to come forward, tell them whose tomb it was, and tell those old but warm stories.
The children listened attentively, their eyes flashing with curiosity and awe.
After the worship, Li Dazui didn't hurry to leave, and took his family around the neighborhood.
He found that the forest had changed so much, that the trees that had been bare last year were now dressed in green; The stream, which was dry last year, is now flowing with clear water.
All this made him feel extremely relieved and satisfied. "Look," Li Dazui pointed to the pink peach blossom forest in the distance, and said to his family, "Look there, it's the place where I knocked out my teeth last year."
Look at this, how beautiful! The family looked in the direction he pointed, but no, the peach blossoms loomed in the fog, just like in the painting.
They all praised one by one, saying that Li Dazui was really blessed to be able to meet such a "big event" in such a beautiful place.
Li Dazui listened and laughed happily.
He knew in his heart that his family was making him happy.
But honestly, he considered himself lucky.
That experience not only taught him to be in awe and gratitude, but also made him more aware of how to cherish the people and things in front of him. "Let's go back," Li Dazui said, "This year's Qingming Festival has been more enjoyable than in previous years." Everyone in the family nodded and followed Li Dazui on the way home.
Along the way, they talked and laughed, and the laughter was a little warmer.
Back in the village, Li Dazui became the optimistic and cheerful Li Dazui who loves to talk and laugh.
But he knew in his heart that he was no longer the same person he used to be.
He has become more mature, more stable, and knows how to live and love others.
The people in the village said that he had changed and become more flavorful.
But Li Dazui knew that this taste was not on the outside, but in the heart.
It comes from his love of life, his reverence for nature, his love for his family, and his inner reconciliation.
In the blink of an eye, it's time for the spring breeze to blow again.
Li Dazui stood in his small courtyard, looking at the spring in the garden, and his heart was full of emotion.
He knows that there is still a long way to go, but as long as there is love, awe, and gratitude in his heart, he can go on in great strides.
The mountains and forests that once scared him have now become the warmest memory in his heart.
Whenever the Qingming Festival, he would take his family to worship his ancestors to feel the solemnity and awe.
He will also tell the younger generations those stories about the mountains and forests, about awe, about reconciliation.
He hopes that these stories can take root in their hearts like seeds, so that they can also find their own "harmony" and "harmony" in the future.