Hey, let's say, in the water town south of the Yangtze River, on the edge of the foggy town, there lives a buddy named Li Laoqi.
This Mr. Li is not simple, he is notoriously shrewd, he travels from south to north, and his business is doing well, as if he has been beaten with chicken blood.
But the good times didn't last long, and a letter from home was like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, telling him that the old man in the family was gone, and he had to hurry home to mourn.
When Li Laoqi heard this, his heart was broken, but he also knew that filial piety was the most important thing.
He hurriedly packed his luggage, took a few Jiangnan specialties, and set out on the way home.
Along the way, the mountains are high and the rivers are long, and Li Laoqi is up and down in his heart, not only missing his father, but also worried about what moths will come out of the family.
A few days later, he walked to a remote mountain road, surrounded by dense trees and fog, and felt like he had traveled to another world.
He was walking with his head down, when he suddenly heard a low "thump" that broke the silence around him.
Li Laoqi's heart tightened, and when he looked up, not far away, two men in black clothes with faces like Changbai Mountain were carrying a black coffin, with steady steps and no tiredness to look at.
Li Laoqi muttered in his heart, why is there such a simple funeral custom in Jiangnan?
It was getting late and the trail was narrow, so he slowed down and followed the group.
As the team walked into the mountains and forests, the wind was a little cold.
Although Li Laoqi was a little hairy in his heart, he was more curious.
He secretly looked at the coffin and found that there were no fancy carvings on it, it was simply painted with a layer of black paint, which looked quite mysterious.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and Li Laoqi's eyes were sharp, and he saw that there was a patina weighing stone on the coffin board, which was firmly pressed in the middle.
This startled him, and he thought, "What does this weighing stone mean by pressing the coffin?"
Is there some shady secret in this?
”
Driven by curiosity, he wanted to take a closer look.
But at this moment, the two people carrying the coffin in front of them seemed to feel something, suddenly stopped, turned around, and stared at Li Laoqi with sharp eyes.
Facing these two pairs of eyes that can see through people's hearts, Li Laoqi was shocked, and was about to explain, when he heard one of them speak, and his voice was low and powerful: "Dude, this is our family's business, don't get involved with outsiders."
If you follow, don't blame us for being polite.
When Li Laoqi heard this, he hurriedly smiled and explained: "Don't misunderstand, two big brothers, I went home for the funeral, and I was very curious when I saw this scene."
This scale is really rare, can you tell me what it means?
The other listened, and was silent for a while, as if thinking about something.
In the end, he sighed and said slowly: "Forget it, seeing that you are also a piece of filial piety, I will tell you."
"The person lying in our coffin is not an ordinary person, but the first respected old-timer in our village.
He had a wish when he was alive, that is, he didn't want to cause chaos in our village after he died, so ah, this funeral had to be simpler.
Speaking of this scale, it is a testimony of his lifelong integrity, which means to tell us in the future that we must have a scale in our hearts and be fair and just in our lives.
When Mr. Li said this, he was full of respect for this old-timer in his heart.
He looked up at the two coffin-bearers, and saw the perseverance and respect in their eyes, as if he was using this simple funeral to tell everyone that there was a belief that transcended life and death.
Li Laoqi had mixed feelings in his heart, and he began to wonder about himself, whether he still maintained his original intention in this business sea, and whether he still remembered the fundamentals of being a man.
Just as he was thinking about it, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps on the mountain road, which interrupted Li Laoqi's thoughts.
Several brightly dressed men hurried over, and as soon as they saw the coffin, their faces immediately changed, and it seemed that they wanted to stop something.
When the two people carrying the coffin saw this situation, they looked at each other, and a trace of determination flashed in their eyes.
Brother Li, our fate has come to an end, and you have to be careful yourself.
After speaking, the two of them shook their figures, flew up with the coffin, turned into two black shadows, and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye, leaving Li Laoqi standing in place and not coming back to his senses for a long time.
This sudden turn of events was more bizarre than any storm he had encountered in the mall.
He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming, but the two black shadows and the coffin had indeed disappeared without a trace, leaving only a cool breeze on the mountain road, which made him shiver.
"This.
.
.
What's going on?
Mr. Li muttered to himself, and the curiosity in his heart was completely aroused.
He turned his head to look at the men who came after, and saw that their faces were pale, and they looked around, obviously stunned by this incredible scene.
A few brothers, dare to ask you what's going on?
Mr. Li was bold and stepped forward and asked.
"Then why are they holding us back?
Li Laoqi couldn't help but ask.
The leading man smiled bitterly and said, "Some people in our village have always had prejudices against the old village chief, and they think that his return will disturb our peaceful life.
They had planned to secretly transport the coffin away at night and find a place to bury it quietly, but Linghu found out.
At this point, the leading man paused, his eyes becoming determined.
"But no matter how they stop it, we can't let the old village chief's wish be disappointed.
He is the pride of our village and our great benefactor.
Li Laoqi was deeply moved by this persistence and persistence, and he seemed to see the long-lost innocence and kindness in his heart.
He patted the leader on the shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Count me in, I'll help too."
So, they decided to reclaim the coffin so that the old village chief could rest in peace in his homeland.
They searched for a whole night in the mountains and forests, and finally found the coffin that was still being weighed down steadily in the depths of a dense forest.
The spirit foxes seemed to have expected them to come, and they didn't stop them, but just watched all this silently with those eyes full of spirituality.
As soon as the day dawned, they finally carried the coffin back to the village, and held a simple and solemn funeral according to the old village chief's wishes.
At the funeral, the villagers came, some of them were close friends of the old village chief, and some were strangers who had been helped by him.
At this moment, all prejudices and misunderstandings vanished, and only the deep nostalgia and respect for the old village chief remained.
In the blink of an eye, it was another cold winter month, and the heavy snow fell, and the whole village was dressed in silver.
Li Laoqi stood under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, looking at the snowflakes flying in the sky, and an inexplicable emotion surged in his heart.
At this moment, a figure hurriedly ran over and broke the silence: "Uncle Li, it's not good!"
The baby of the old Zhang family in the east of the village fell into the ice hole!
The man panted, his eyes full of anxiety.
When Li Laoqi heard this, he didn't say anything, grabbed the wooden stick on the side, and ran to the east of the village with the passers-by.
Along the way, the snowflakes fell bigger and bigger, and the cold wind cut his face like a knife, but he didn't seem to feel it, and there was a thought in his heart - it was important to save people!
When I arrived at the river, I saw a big hole cracked in the ice, and the baby of the old Zhang family was struggling in the ice water, and the situation was critical.
Li Laoqi didn't think much about it, and while asking people to find ropes and planks, he took off his coat and cautiously approached the ice cave.
"Baby, don't be afraid, uncle is here!
He soothed the child as he tested the thickness of the ice with his stick.
Finally, he found a relatively solid piece of ice, jumped sharply, and landed firmly on the ice.
Then, little by little, he approached the child, and every step was extremely difficult, for fear that if he was not careful, he would also fall into the icy water.
After some hard work, Li Laoqi finally grabbed the child's hand and pulled him onto the ice with all his strength.
At this moment, the villagers on the shore also found ropes and planks, and everyone worked together to pull the two ashore.
The child was saved, but Li Laoqi was shivering from the cold because of being soaked in ice water for a long time, and his face was pale.
Oops, this is something to be taken care of.
That day, when the people in the village saw Li Laoqi's appearance, they were so anxious that they hurriedly carried him back to the house, lit a fire to warm him up, and boiled ginger soup to ward him off the cold.
That night, Li Laoqi burned like a stove, dazed, as if he saw the kind smiling face of the old village chief, and heard his serious words: "Young man, you have to be like our ice and snow, cold outside, hot in heart, you have to think about warming others at all times."
After a few days, Mr. Li's illness slowly improved, but this incident made him even more determined to stay in the village.
He knew that this place was already his second home, and he couldn't let go of family and friendship.
Early the next morning, when the sun was just outcropping, Mr. Li put on his luggage and set foot on the way home.
Behind him were the reluctant gazes and words of blessing from the villagers.
His heart was filled with love and nostalgia for the land.
"Goodbye, my second home.
Li Laoqi read silently in his heart, and then strode forward, leaving a series of deep footprints that stretched on the snow until he disappeared into the distance......