#文章首发挑战赛#
During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the flower buildings in the south of the Yangtze River were particularly popular. The scholar Li Wen did not read the books of sages, but spent his days idle, indulging in the Oiran Building. His father, Mr. Li, was very dissatisfied with his debauchery, and seeing that persuasion and scolding were not effective, he had to take strong measures and send him to a relative's house in the countryside.
Reluctantly, Levine came to the countryside and stayed at his uncle's house. His uncle, an honest and upright squire, took great care of him, arranged for him an elegant study, and hired a famous teacher to teach him to read. Although Li Wen accepted on the surface, he was very unhappy in his heart, he felt that life in the countryside was too dull and boring, without any fun, and he missed the prosperity and Oiran in the city. He often took advantage of the night to sneak out and go to the nearby town to look for flowers and willows, and squandered it.
One night, Li Wen secretly went out again, rode a horse, and came to a restaurant in the town, and he fell in love with an oiran named Hongniang upstairs at a glance, she was delicate and moving, graceful and graceful, and her eyes were watery, which was very attractive. Li Wen fell in love at first sight, so he went upstairs to find her, and the matchmaker also had a good impression of him, and the two soon got into a hot fight, drinking wine and eating meat, singing and dancing, and having a lot of fun.
On a whim, Li Wen begged the matchmaker, but the matchmaker said that she had been raised by a wealthy businessman and could not share a bed with him, unless he could afford a hundred taels of silver before he could buy out her body. When Li Wen heard this, his heart moved, he felt that the matchmaker was worth his money, so he agreed. He said that he did not have that much silver on him, but that he could go home and get it, and bring it to her tomorrow. Seeing that he was sincere, the matchmaker agreed, asking him to leave the horse as collateral first, and then come back tomorrow to get it.
Li Wen left the horse in the restaurant and walked home. His heart was full of joy along the way, thinking that he would be able to sleep with the matchmaker tomorrow, and he felt that this was the happiest thing in his life. He walked a little carried away, and before he knew it, he had come to a wood.
This forest is not approached by the locals, because legend has it that there is a mysterious puppeteer who lives in it, he will carve all kinds of puppets out of wood, some like people, some like animals, some like monsters, he will use a kind of magic to make the puppets come to life, follow his orders, he will use puppets to harm people, suck people's souls away, and then make people's corpses into puppets for him to play with. This legend makes people frightened, and no one dares to pass by this forest at night.
Li Wen didn't know this legend, he only felt that the woods were very dark, quiet, and cool, and he felt that this was a shortcut that would allow him to go home early, so he walked in without hesitation. He had only been walking for a while when he heard a strange sound from the woods, like the sound of wood knocking, and like the sound of people talking, and he couldn't help but be curious, so he followed the sound.
When he had walked for a while, he saw a small wooden house with a faint light shining from the windows, and when he approached it, he was astonished. He saw an old man, sitting at a wooden table, holding a knife in his hand, carving a puppet, and the puppet turned out to be a half-human tall beauty, who looked exactly like the matchmaker.
Li Wen thought this was incredible, he didn't know how this old man knew what the matchmaker looked like, whether he also liked the matchmaker and wanted to use a puppet to replace her. He felt jealous in his heart, and wanted to step forward and snatch the puppet, but as soon as he took a step, he was grabbed by a cold hand.
Li Wen looked back, frightened, he saw a half-human height puppet, looking like an old monk, with a small wooden basin on his head, wearing a shabby robe, holding a wooden stick in his hand, staring at him with a pair of dark eyes. Levine tried to break free, but the puppet's strength was so strong that he dragged him firmly into it and threw him in the cabin.
Levine yelled for help and tried to escape, but the puppet's strength was so strong that he was firmly pressed to the ground and did not let him move. Li Wen only felt a burst of coldness, he thought he was going to die, he regretted that he didn't listen to his father, study hard, he thought of his father, his uncle, and his matchmaker, his heart was full of remorse and unwillingness.
At this moment, he heard the old man's voice and said, "Boy, don't be afraid, I don't want to harm you, I want to save you." Li Wen was stunned for a moment, not understanding what he meant, so he asked, "Who are you? What do you want to save me?"
"I am a puppeteer, I have lived here for decades, I carve all kinds of puppets out of wood, breathe life into them, let them accompany me, this is my pleasure and my loneliness," said the old man. The puppet you just saw is my latest creation, I carved it based on the appearance of an Oiran I saw in the town yesterday, she is very beautiful, very similar to my wife when I was young, I wanted to use her to commemorate my late wife, so I named her the matchmaker. ”
When Li Wen heard this, he was shocked, he remembered the old man he saw in the restaurant yesterday, it turned out to be him, and he couldn't help asking: "Then why are you arresting me? What are you going to do to me?"
The old man said: "I arrested you because your fate is inextricably linked with mine, you don't know, you have an evil aura in you, that is an aura that can destroy you, if you don't get rid of it in time, you will be in danger of your life, I pulled you in to help you." ”
Li Wen didn't believe it, and said: "You are talking nonsense, how can there be any evil aura in me, do you want to scare me, and then suck my soul away and make me a puppet?" The old man shook his head and said: "You misunderstood, I am not the kind of evil puppeteer, I have never harmed people, I just use puppets to comfort myself, you don't believe it, you can ask my puppets, they are all loyal and kind, they will tell you the truth." ”
As he spoke, he said hello, and a group of puppets came out from all corners of the room, some looked like people, some looked like animals, and some looked like monsters, all of them surrounded Li Wen and said in various voices: "The puppeteer is a good person, he will not harm you, he wants to save you, you have to believe him." ”
Li Wen looked at these puppets and felt a trace of warmth, he felt that they were not terrible, but very cute, he couldn't help but soften his heart, and asked: "Then how do you want to save me? What do you want me to do?" The old man said: "What I want you to do is actually very simple, that is, to give up your greed, return to your nature, study hard, pass the Jinshi examination, and serve the country and the people, so that you can get rid of that evil atmosphere and live a happy life." ”
Li Wen asked, "How do you know that I am a scholar? How do you know that I am greedy? How do you know that I am going to be admitted to the Jinshi?"
The old man said: "I know, more than you think, I can see through your heart, you are a talented and ambitious young man, you originally wanted to study, but you were bewitched by the prosperity of the city and the oiran, you indulged in wine, you forgot your ideals, your father, your uncle, your hometown, your country, you only think of using money to buy out the body of the matchmaker, and live a shameless life with her."
You don't know, doing this will only make you more and more depraved, more and more unlucky, you don't know, the matchmaker doesn't actually love you, she just uses you, she is a ruthless woman, she has an ulterior secret with that rich businessman.
They are actually a murderous couple, they specialize in deceiving the trust of rich people, and then poison them to kill them, rob them of their money, they have already killed a lot of people, you are their next target, if you go to her tomorrow with money, you will die without a corpse, your soul will be devoured by them, and your corpse will be made into a puppet by them for them to play with. ”
When Li Wen heard this, he was terrified, he couldn't believe that his beloved matchmaker was such a woman, he couldn't believe it, he almost fell victim to her, he couldn't believe that his life was so dangerous, he asked: "Is what you said true? Do you have any evidence?"
The old man said, "What I said is true, I have proof, you see." As he spoke, he picked up a puppet from the table and handed it to Li Wen, Li Wen looked at it, and exclaimed again, he saw the puppet, it turned out to be a man who looked exactly like him, but his eyes were hollow, his mouth was blood-red, and his body was scarred, he looked very terrible, Li Wen asked, "What is this? Is this me?"
The old man said: "This is your future, this is what you will become if you go to the matchmaker tomorrow, this is what I carved out with my prophetic ability, I am to warn you, let you know your danger, and let you change your fate, so I pulled you in, do you understand now?"
Li Wen understood, he felt afraid for a while, he felt that he was too stupid and naïve, he almost ruined his life for a woman who didn't love him, he felt a burst of sadness, he thought of his father, his uncle, his hometown, he remembered his ideals, his ambitions, his talents, he remembered his dreams, he wanted to be admitted to the Jinshi, for the country and the people, he felt that he had wasted too much time, too many opportunities, he felt that he should reform and start again.
He said to the old man: "Thank you, puppeteer, you saved my life and my heart, you made me see my mistakes clearly, you made me regain my direction, you are my benefactor, how can I repay you?"
The old man smiled and said, "You don't have to repay me, I just did what I was supposed to do, I just want you to know that there are many choices in life, there are many possibilities, you don't want to be confused by greed for a while, you have to stick to your nature, you have to work hard to realize your dreams, so that you can live a truly happy life, this is also my expectation of you, as long as you do this, I will be satisfied." ”
Li Wen was moved and said: "You are really a good person, you are really a wise man, I will keep your words in mind, I will follow your expectations, be a useful person, I will study hard, take the Jinshi examination, serve the country and the people, I will always remember your kindness." ”
The old man nodded and said, "Very good, I believe in you, if you have such determination, you will be able to succeed, I bless you, you can go, your horse is still waiting for you in the restaurant, you hurry home, tomorrow is a new day, you have to grasp it well, don't make mistakes again." Levine said, "Okay, I'm leaving, goodbye, puppeteer, goodbye, puppeteers, thank you, I'll miss you." ”
So saying, he stood up, bowed to the old man and the puppets, and then walked out of the hut, out of the woods, back to the town, back to the restaurant, retrieved his horse, rode it, went back to his uncle's house, went back to his study, went back to his books, went back to his dreams.
Since then, Li Wen is like a different person, he is no longer idle, no longer gambling and drinking, no longer indulging in the Oiran Building, he concentrates on studying, diligent, and constantly improving, his uncle and famous teachers are very appreciative of him, and his father is also very pleased to hear about his changes.
He wrote him a letter encouraging him to continue his efforts and look forward to his good news. Li Wen worked harder, he participated in the imperial examination next year, and in one fell swoop he passed the Jinshi, his name spread all over the world, his father and uncle were proud of him, he was appointed as an important official by the imperial court, he served the country and the people, he was honest and honest, he was loved by the people, his life was full of joy and happiness, he also found a wife who really loved him, they had several children, they loved each other, and they were harmonious and happy.
And the old man, that is, the puppeteer, he has been living in that wood, he has been carving all kinds of puppets out of wood, breathing life into them, letting them accompany him, he has also been following Li Wen's movements, he is happy for his achievements, he is very happy for his happiness, he feels that his efforts have not been in vain, he feels that he also has a merit, he feels that he also has a happiness.
His favorite puppet is still the one like the matchmaker, he puts her in the most conspicuous place, he will talk to her every day, he will tell her, how much he loves her, how much he misses her, he will tell her, how grateful he is to her, she is his wife, his soul, his everything.
He would tell her how lucky he was, how lucky he was to be able to meet her, how he was able to have her, how happy he was, how happy he was, how he had this life, how he had such a puppet, how much love he had. He will continue to be like this until he is old, until he dies, until he and she are with him forever.