During the Ming Dynasty, in a small town southwest of Laizhou Capital, there lived a squire surnamed Guo, who had three sons with his wife Kong, of which the eldest son Guo Xintian and the second son Guo Xiangtian both married a daughter-in-law, only the third son Guo Qingtian had just turned seventeen years old, but his father did not hurt, his mother did not love, he did not even read for a few days, he worked as a helper in his own rice shop, and the money he earned every month had to be withheld by his mother Kong.
Guo Qingtian knows that his father is not not not loving himself, but he is forced by his mother Kong Shi, Kong Shi does not know why he hates his third son, according to the clever and clever strength, Guo Qingtian is definitely not worse than the two brothers, but he never gets the mother's favor.
This year, Guo Laoye proposed to mention a family affair to the third son, he just mentioned this matter at the dinner table, he was strongly opposed by his wife and second son, the eldest son Guo Xintian did not say a word, but he looked at his father, and his face was full of dark clouds.
In the local area, the son gets married to divide the house and field, and the second brother is obviously afraid of dividing the family property with himself after the third brother gets married, which is why he disagrees with one by one, saying that the field is still small, and kong also says so.
Old Master Guo still wanted to say something more, and Qing Tian, who was sitting next to him, said, "Father, I don't want to get married yet, and I don't want to fight with my eldest brother and second brother for family property, so you can let me go out and run around, I don't want everything in the family." ”
As soon as Guo Qingtian's voice fell, everyone at the dinner table was relieved, and Old Master Guo sighed: "Well, I'm old, I can't manage many of you, while I'm still alive, let's divide your family in advance, so as to save your brothers from making trouble after I die." ”
The crowd listened, but did not speak again. After two days, Mr. Guo let his three sons sit at the table in the main hall, which was already full of wine and dishes.
After the father and son four people ate and drank, Old Master Guo took out the treasure book and began to divide the family, which should be divided to the boss, and the second old man's field house was clear to them, and when he came to the third old Guo Qingtian, Guo Qingtian said that he really did not want anything, he only wanted his father to prepare less for himself, so that he could go to the field.
When Old Master Guo heard this, he took out a money bag from behind, the bag was bulging, and it seemed to be full of silver, but Guo Qingtian only took out two pieces of silver from it, about twenty-two, and the rest he pushed back.
Old Master Guo still wanted to persuade again, guo Qingtian had already swooped down on his knees and said to the three people in front of him: "Father, big brother, second brother, I plan to leave home early tomorrow morning, you take more care!" ”
Guo Qingtian finished speaking, turned his head to go out, but heard a muffled sound behind him, it turned out that a large black-spotted snake with the thickness of a tea bowl on the beam of the room fell down and smashed into the full table cups and plates, the snake fainted for a while, then slowly climbed down the dining table, circled around Guo Qingtian's legs three times, and then climbed straight out of the gate.
When Old Master Guo saw the big snake go away, his face changed drastically, and he shouted at Guo Qingtian, "Go chase the snake!" Go chase! Only you can catch up with it, old three! ”
Guo Qingtian listened, turned his head to chase the snake, the snake climbed out of the courtyard, straight up the back mountain, the speed is very fast, Guo Qingtian also quickly chased it, a person and a snake ran out of more than three miles, the snake stopped on a deserted grave without a tombstone, no longer running, Guo Qingtian also stopped breathlessly, he just forgot to ask his father's meaning, and now he doesn't know what to do with this snake.
Guo Qingtian was in a daze, and the snake on the grave actually spat out: "Son, I have been in the Guo family for many years for you, I just want to keep you safe, since you want to leave home, I don't need to stay there anymore, you remember, you have to find a place to live by the river in the future, and then come back here after ten years, because the mother's grave is here." ”
After the big snake finished speaking, he went around to the back of the deserted grave and disappeared, Guo Qingtian did not find the snake hole everywhere, so he had to return home full of doubts, wasn't his mother Kong? How come another woman, or a snake?
After arriving home, Guo Qingtian told his father, Old Master Guo, what he had seen and heard, but Old Master Guo sat down on a chair and sighed: "Evil! The family snake leaves home, the Guo family is going to be finished, blame me for not loving you well! ”
Guo Qingtian repeatedly asked the reason for the matter, and Old Master Guo spoke up.
Old Master Guo said that when he was thirty-six years old, he fell in love with a new lady, who was pregnant, and finally gave birth to a son, and before he could enter the delivery room to see, he listened to the midwife exclaim, saying that the mother was out of breath, he rushed in to see, the lady was indeed dead, the son was fine, and Old Master Guo named his son Qingtian.
When Guo Qingtian heard this, he pointed his finger at himself in shock, and Old Master Guo nodded.
Old Master Guo went on to say that since the death of the beard, the family has not been peaceful, the grand lady Kong Shi found a Taoist priest to see, the Taoist said that the family needs a snake to protect the family, the Taoist suggested that the body of the beard be dug up, the bones are broken, and then wrapped around the hollow bamboo pole, and then tied to the beam of the house, you can make her become a snake.
Old Master Guo did not agree to this, but he later went out to do business with a few people, and when he returned, he found that there was indeed one more snake in the house, that is, the one that fell from the beam at noon.
When Guo Qingtian heard this, he had all understood, and he asked in a trembling voice, "So you don't know if this snake is my mother's change, right?" How can you be so cruel? ”
Old Master Guo nodded in panic, saying that he really did not know, and he had not dug up the grave of the beard to verify.
When Guo Qingtian heard this, he laughed twice, turned his head back to his house, and the next morning he went to his mother's grave to burn paper, and left his hometown without looking back.
Later, Guo's eldest son and second son all died of illness for no reason within a few years, and Guo also died, and Kong was later paralyzed in bed, supported by his eldest daughter-in-law, who did not want to see her, often making her hungry and full. Ten years later, Guo Qingtian became a wealthy businessman with a lot of money, and after he returned to his hometown, he set up a wide range of farmhouses to lease to the poor, and paved the way for the town to build bridges and did many good deeds.
Guo Qingtian took Kong Shi to his home to take care of him, and Kong Shi washed his face with tears every day, repented, and died after four or five years.