I often walk by the river without getting my shoes wet. Change wet shoes at home, don't be greedy for nostalgia.
There are many taboos about ghosts and gods spread among the people. Seven Coffin Nails is one of them.
Seven nails are usually used to nail the coffin, commonly known as "the nails of descendants". It is said that this can make future generations prosperous.
Among the resentful ghosts, the drowned ghost is extremely resentful. Before dying, they struggled fiercely and experienced panic, helplessness and despair. At midnight, the door of hell opens wide. All kinds of drowned ghosts wander around the river where they drowned. They will select a section of the river embankment and drop a coffin nail every other section, for a total of seven. Once someone takes away all the nails in order, it means that they agree to be the substitute of the deceased, and they can transfer their resentment to that person and be reincarnated.
In rural areas thirty years ago, many families were not wealthy. There is a pair of twins next door to my grandma's house. Their surname is Zhao, and they are fifteen or sixteen years old. The one born an hour earlier is called Zhao Da, and the younger one is called Zhao Er. My parents followed fellow villagers to work in coastal cities, leaving their two children at home to study.
There is a river not far from my grandma’s house. The water is clear and there are swarms of fish and shrimp. The fish and shrimps in Qingshui River are rare commodities in the city. Every weekend, someone drives a tractor to collect the goods. Zhao Da and Zhao Er earned pocket money in order to improve their food. I go fishing in the river every now and then. The time is usually chosen in the second half of the night, when the fish are the quietest, and you can catch them in a net with a flashlight. Each person carries a basket on his back, and when the sky is dark, he often returns home with a full load. Spread some coarse salt on the caught fish, string it up on bamboo skewers, and dry it under the eaves. The price of dried fish has increased several times.
People often bathed in that river, and occasionally people drowned.
Both sides of the river are rice fields. Two river embankments stretch into the distance. Normally, the two brothers would walk back home after walking a kilometer or two along the river embankment. But that day, the fish in the river seemed to be driven away by the sultry weather. After walking a long way, the backpack is still empty.
It was particularly quiet that night, so quiet that even the croaking of frogs was gone. Zhao Da felt that something was wrong with the atmosphere and kept urging Zhao Er to go back. Zhao Er was unwilling to return empty-handed and insisted on moving forward. In this way, they came to a place that neither of them knew, and there were suddenly more fish in the river. A cool wind blew on the river.
The further he walked, the more excited Zhao Er became. Not only in the river, but also on the river bank, there are many white fish jumping. The embankment was more than one meter high from the surface of the river. How did these fish jump up? The more Zhao Da thought about it, the more strange it became.
"Brother, why are you standing there, come and help!"
"We have almost picked up the fish! We have gone so far, let's go back quickly!" said After finishing, Zhao Da shrugged off the heavy basket on his back.
"Brother, are you stupid if you don't want the fish you picked up for free? Don't worry, I have a feeling that there will be a big harvest, so I will come prepared!" As he said this, Zhao Er dug out from under the basket on his back. A big sack.
Zhao Da couldn’t resist his younger brother and shook his head helplessly. The two simply put away their net bags and picked them up along the river embankment.
Along the way, Zhao Da heard gloomy laughter from time to time, which scared him to the core. But the younger brother didn't hear it and thought he was making an excuse to go home. He kept his head down to pick up fish, as if he wouldn't go home if he didn't have enough food.
Suddenly, Zhao Er’s fingertips were pricked with blood. He was startled, so he retracted his hand, put it in his mouth and took two sips.
When Zhao Da shined the flashlight on the ground, he looked horrified and turned pale with shock! Aren't these the coffin nails used to close the coffin? Square, long black nails. Zhao Da had seen him more than once during the funeral in the village and would never admit his mistake.
"We can't go any further!" Zhao Da heard the old man tell the story of the seven coffin nails. He felt frightened and held his brother's arm tightly. "Seven nails in the coffin, the evil ghost came to recognize you. Go back quickly!"
"Hahaha, you coward! You even believe this kind of ghost story to scare children!" Zhao Er burst into laughter and said The coffin nails were held in his hand and dangled before his eyes. He glanced at the sack and said, "What's the fuss about picking up a coffin nail on the river bank? Well, there's still half a bag left. At this rate, it can be done in ten minutes. Let's save money after drying the fish and selling it. Buy a bicycle. It’s so convenient to go wherever you want!”
Yes, a bicycle. Zhao Er has been talking about it for more than half a year. If you really earn a bicycle by selling dried fish.
He probably would wake up laughing even from his dreams.
Zhao Er’s eyes were shining, and Zhao Da couldn’t bear to ruin his mood. He nodded silently.
Seven Coffin Nails has a complete set of explanations, and it is not easy to succeed. Some resentful ghosts even lingered by the river for hundreds of years without being able to find a substitute.
The first nail is selection. If there are many people traveling together, whose blood is stained on the nail will be the chosen one. The second and third ones are called soul sealing, which uses sound and light to blind the other party's eyes and ears. The fourth one is an intrusion, with nails placed vertically to pierce the soles of the chosen person's feet. Making his movements sluggish. The fifth and sixth ones are falling. After being touched, the body becomes as stiff as a rock, making it impossible for outsiders to move. The last one is called Eclipse Heart. At this time, the chosen person has lost his soul. What he sees is not true, and what he hears is not true. A complete puppet. The resentful ghost only needs to blow the wind gently in his ear, and he will definitely be obedient. At this point, the ghost's purpose is achieved, and the living person will undoubtedly die.
The brothers only knew one part of the legend about the seven coffin nails, but not the other.
Until the second and third nails appeared, Zhao Er picked them up inexplicably. There was a buzz in his head, and two nails slipped from Zhao Er's hand at the same time, making a "ding-dong" sound. No matter what Zhao Da says or does. Zhao Er turned a blind eye to them all and walked forward in a daze.
"Come on! Come on!" The dark wind blew up, and there was a dim and flickering light ahead, and a faint female voice came from the air.
"Is this a ghost covering his eyes?" Although Zhao Da was scared, it was his biological brother in front of him! You absolutely cannot ignore death! He quickly took off his backpack, rushed forward and pulled him back. Unexpectedly, the dark wind carried sand and gravel, blindfolded his eyes, and bruised his body. Zhao Da's hand slipped and the flashlight fell to the ground. He closed his eyes tightly and shouted his brother's name in a panic, scratching in the darkness.
Caught a wet, cold body! The wind stopped, and Zhao Da took a closer look. What he saw in front of him was half a swollen and rotten face, with cloudy gray eyes staring straight at him. Zhao Da's head went blank, and his whole body was trembling as if it was electrified.
"Don't mind your own business!" The face screamed a warning! Then he disappeared in front of Zhao Da with a ferocious expression.
It’s over! At this time, the soles of Zhao Er's feet were dripping with blood, and he already held six nails in his hand. He drooped his head and staggered forward. The fish in the basket were scattered all over the floor.
At this time, he seemed to be powerful. No matter what method Zhao Da used, he could not stop him.
The last nail fell on a pair of swollen bare feet.
"It's over!" Zhao Da raised the flashlight, and the pale light shivered up his feet and fell on the creepy face he had seen before.
"Mom! Why are you back?" Zhao Er seemed to have forgotten Zhao Da's existence. He excitedly held the female ghost's hand. He turned on his toes and faced the river.
"Don't mess with my brother! Please! I'm just such a brother! Every injustice has its debtor, so do your best! Let us go!" A strong sense of helplessness coupled with suffocation Panic caused Zhao Da to completely collapse! He first kept kowtowing his head, then collapsed on the ground, and his pitiful cries filled half of the night sky.
Zhao Er held the female ghost and stared blankly at the river. The female ghost suddenly turned around and smiled gloomily at Zhao Da.
With a "pop", Zhao Er submerged into the river, like a stone, quietly sinking to the bottom of the river, holding seven coffin nails tightly in his hand.
It is said that twins can be psychic. After his brother was buried, Zhao Da had nightmares every night.
In the dream, Zhao Ergu lowered his head and said nothing. Ling Ling wandered on the river embankment, scattering the seven coffin nails in his hands over and over again...