The so-called rootless water is not the rain from the sky as the saying goes, but the water scooped from the water tank with a strainer. The bottom of the strainer is empty and naturally cannot hold water. Only a little water can be stored in the small holes each time by relying on tension. After the talisman is burned to ashes, stir it and drink it.

Within a radius of dozens of miles around Qingquan Town, almost everyone has drunk this magic water.

It can be said that as long as there are grandmothers, mothers, and sisters in the family, they cannot escape this kind gift.

This kind of talisman water is often not necessarily because there is some disease or disaster that needs to be eliminated, but it carries more hope and wishes.

The person who bestows the talisman is like a panacea. You only need to express your wish and they will add spiritual energy to your talisman, turning it into a panacea that can cure all diseases and eliminate all evil spirits.

Men generally don’t care much about this kind of thing, but they can’t do without it, and they can’t refuse it. There is always someone they care about particularly among their elders, wives, or even daughters and granddaughters.

If you really don't need to care about anything, then naturally you don't need a talisman. A lonely person doesn't need to expect anything.

In addition to the more common four-cornered yellow talisman, there is also a triangular red talisman which is relatively more formal.

It's a bit like the long runes pasted on many buildings, or the runes used by Taoist priests in some TV dramas and movies.

Often when you ask for a talisman, the Yin and Yang will draw the talisman on the spot, and then help you fold it, seal it in a triangle covered with red cloth, sew the triangle up with needle and thread personally, put a rope on it, or give it directly to the person asking for the talisman.

The kind with a rope needs to be hung around the neck. After hanging it for a certain number of years, you can come to the temple to fulfill your vow, and the person who hangs the clothes will help you take it off, forming a cycle.

If you give it directly to the pilgrims, you should hang the talisman under your armpit after returning, just like Aunt Yu Qiutang asked.

The number of years for hanging is different. Some take longer, requiring a cycle of 3, 5 or even 12 years, while some take at least 1 year.

After hanging this kind of talisman, it needs to be burned and then buried in an auspicious location in the house to completely remove the thing you want to remove.

There is also a more solemn and formal kind of talisman, which requires setting up an altar at home like the ones in the movies and fulfilling certain rituals.

Choose an auspicious time and ask the fortune teller to perform some rituals on the yard. After drawing the talisman, seal it in something and bury it underground.

This is equivalent to blessing the family and future generations with peace and happiness. This kind of talisman is relatively rare because it costs more money.

Moreover, people have a psychological limit to things like seeking talismans. If the ceremony is too grand, they will feel that it is too much.

This is relatively rare and is only done when a family member has passed away, or when one has recently been robbed, or when one is experiencing constant bad luck.

What Yu Qiutang was curious about was that, in general, the person who wanted to ask for a talisman had to first tell the yin and yang or the witch his or her wishes or confusions, and then listen to the yin and yang or the witch to explain the confusions and tell where the problems might arise. Only then would they bless him or her.

This kind of talisman is relatively effective.

But he just came in and hadn't said anything yet, so why did my aunt give him a talisman directly?
And the way the aunt looked at him just now was also very strange. Isn't she blind? Why did she stare at him for so long like that?

Yu Qiutang certainly did not believe in gods and ghosts in his previous life, but if he did not believe in them at all in this life, then that would really be a bit of forcing and he would be lying with his eyes open.

In a big way, he is kinder in this life than in the last, and is more willing to do good things. He always thinks that if you do good things, you will be blessed.

He believed that everything was arranged by fate.

If there was something that allowed him to live another life, it would definitely be to hope that he could do something valuable and meaningful, rather than being selfish.

"Aunt, I am..."

Yu Qiutang wanted to tell his aunt his identity, but he thought that his aunt would not recognize him. After all, his aunt had many younger generations and met many people every day, so it would be difficult for her to recognize him, a relative who was not very close to her.

"You owe too much. Others ask you for a lot of things, and if you can't give them, they will take away your blessings. Wear it, at least it guarantees you a good life for a year. As for what will happen after a year, no one can say for sure, it all depends on your luck."

The aunt had no intention of listening to Yu Qiutang's words. She turned around and filled the lamp oil while reminding him in an old and damp voice.

"What are you talking about, aunt?"

Yu Qiutang was frightened by her appearance, and Mi Yali beside him was also puzzled. She grabbed his arm, looked at him, then looked at the old man, not knowing what was going on.

"Come, kneel down and burn some incense."

The aunt did not answer anything. She picked up three incense sticks from the side, gave two to Yu Qiutang and one to Mi Yali.

Yu Qiutang didn't know what to say when he saw this, so he had to kneel down on the straw mat, kowtow three times to the statue of Meng Po, and then put the incense in the incense burner.

After getting up, he wanted to continue talking to his aunt, but his aunt sat silently on the small bench beside him, with her head down and not saying a word.

Miali gently pulled him.

"Shall we go first?"

Yu Qiutang nodded and said to her aunt, "Aunt, we'll leave first. If you have time, please come to our house."

The aunt waved outside.

Yu Qiutang then pulled Mi Yali out.

As soon as the two walked out of Meng Po's shop, they immediately felt a warmth outside. Standing at the door, it felt like there was a dark hell inside.

He looked inside, it was a dark room, he couldn't see inside at all, and suddenly he had an indescribable feeling in his heart.

"Qiu Tang, were you familiar with your aunt before?"

Yu Qiutang shook his head and said, "I'm not familiar with her. I only know that there is such a lady. I haven't had any dealings with her in this temple. I remember meeting her twice at some funerals, and I rarely hear others mention her."

Miali nodded.

"I just feel that you are such a mysterious lady. You don't speak directly, as if you are hinting at something. It makes me nervous and uneasy."

"Not only are you uneasy, I am also uneasy. Let's just ignore it. Since she gave it to me, I'll just hang on."

"Okay, I'll help you sew it inside your clothes when we get back."

After visiting the Mengpo Temple of the aunt, the two went to several other places of interest.

With this lesson learned, they did not go in to see those things in the underworld. Instead, they looked for crowded and auspicious places and took a look around. After all the incense and paper in their hands were burned out, they returned to the stage.

Qinqiang has begun.

The play sung was also the classic "The Case of the Chopping of the Beauty".

The two saw the eldest sister and two children in the crowd. The children were watching the show with great interest, so they did not go over to disturb them. They planned to watch from the side for a while and go home when the show was almost over.

The story of Chen Shimei's case is well-known to Chinese people. It tells the story of Chen Shimei, who abandoned his family and children and was beheaded by the iron-faced and impartial Bao Da Ren. For thousands of years, Chen Shimei has been the benchmark of ungrateful men.

People call those men who have no conscience, forget their principles when they see profit, and abandon their wives when they have a good life as Chen Shimei.

Chen Shimei is their incarnation.

When many couples watch the film "The Case of the Chopping of Mei", the wife can't help but compare Chen Shimei with her own husband.

Those who like to joke will even tell men that if they act like Chen Shimei, they will do such and such things to them.

Men will naturally pat their chests and assure that no matter who they are, they will never be a Chen Shimei.

However, Yu Qiutang and Mi Yali did not have such thoughts. They were just watching the show. They were fascinated by it when suddenly someone patted Mi Yali gently on the back. She turned around and could not help but shouting with joy.

"Why is it you, Liu Shufen!"

Yu Qiutang also turned around and found that the person who greeted him was a woman about the same age as Mi Yali, with dark skin and a very thin body.

Seeing Mi Yali holding the other person's hand, he knew that they had a complicated relationship. Sure enough, when he asked, he found out that Liu Shufen was Mi Yali's junior high school classmate and also one of her best friends.

"Liu Shufen, didn't you say you were going to Shanxi? Why are you back now? I remember when you left, you said you would live there with your man.

Isn't it hard over there?

When did you come back? You didn’t even tell me when you came back.

I was thinking about you a while ago. You see, I attended your wedding, but you didn’t come back when I got married. What a pity.”

Mia was very happy to see her friends whom she hadn't seen for a long time, and her speech was a little incoherent.

He was jumping happily while talking.

Yu Qiutang actually rarely saw her like this. Perhaps it was to be more reserved and steady in front of her husband that she rarely showed this pure girlish attitude. Now that she saw her good friend, she couldn't help but reveal it.

Looking at Liu Shufen again, she was also smiling, but when she heard Mi Yali mention her husband, her face immediately turned gloomy. I don't know why, but her eyes suddenly filled with tears.

This frightened Miali, and she quickly squeezed her hand.

"What's wrong, Liu Shufen? What happened?"

"Lili," Liu Shufen burst into tears, "My husband is dead."

"what?!"

Miyali was shocked. "Your husband was in good health. I remember when I saw him, he was very strong and he didn't seem to have any disease. How come it's only been a short time? How come he suddenly passed away?"

"Something happened in the mine, and he was gone. I didn't even see his body, what should I do, Lili?

He just walked away like that, leaving me and the baby in my belly behind. How can I live as an orphan and a widow? "

Yu Qiutang frowned.

In fact, when he heard that Liu Shufen's man was in Shanxi, he felt a little uneasy.

During this era, coal mining production was at its peak, and many mines were wild mines and illegal mines, without any safety production protection measures like those in later generations.

Even many coal mines have no safety awareness at all.

Not to mention, there are some illegal coal mines that trick people into going in and won’t let them out until they die.

In this era, coal mine accidents are very common, and only a small portion of them are reported. Many more accidents are solved privately by the mines.

Liu Shufen said that her man had an accident at the mine and his body was never found. This was not an uncommon thing, as there were people like this in Wangjiazhuang.

She was in a good mood, but this happened. Mi Yali didn't know what to do for a moment, she could only comfort Liu Shufen and tell her to mourn and not be too sad.

When you are pregnant, you should keep a good mood, otherwise it may affect the fetus. If something happens to the baby, you will be really sad.

Yu Qiutang was too embarrassed to say too much, after all, these were just a conversation between two best friends, and he and Liu Shufen were just meeting for the first time.

After talking for a while, Mi Yali asked Liu Shufen, "Then why did you come here today? Are you here to burn incense?"

Liu Shufen nodded.

He took out a black-and-white photo from his pocket and said, "My husband got into an accident outside, and his body is nowhere to be found. He has become a wandering ghost. I thought of burning some paper for him here, hoping that he can come back with me."

No matter what, if you have no future outside, you have to return to your home and die peacefully, right? "

Miali: “That’s true.”

There is a custom here that if a person is missing, or for some reason the body cannot be brought back to his hometown, the clothes he wore during his lifetime or personal belongings will be brought back to his hometown to make a cenotaph.

If these things are not available, photos can be used instead. It seems that Liu Shufen just wants to burn the photos, which is equivalent to a very simple soul-calling process.

As they were talking, a gust of wind suddenly blew over, and the photo in Liu Shufen's hand was blown away by the wind and floated in the air.

Yu Qiutang was quick-witted and grabbed the photo before it flew away, and took a look at it.

He originally just wanted to take a quick look and then return it to Liu Shufen, but at that moment, his eyes suddenly fixed on the boss, staring at the photo in disbelief.

His behavior frightened Mi Yali and Liu Shufen. Mi Yali gently pulled him and said, "What's wrong, Qiu Tang? Return the photos to them."

Yu Qiutang turned a deaf ear and continued to hold the photo tightly.

There are five people in this photo, all wearing very simple miners' uniforms, with dirty faces. It seems that this photo was taken during a mine trip or in between work.

What surprised Yu Qiutang the most was that he found a person among the five people whom he never expected, his brother Yu Chunsheng.

This was the first time he saw information about his brother since he left in his previous life.

In his previous life, he had also been to Shanxi and visited some places, but there was no news from him, as if his brother had disappeared.

In this life, he also carried the conscious impressions of his previous life. He felt that he would never find his brother, so he assumed that he must have died somewhere.

I didn't expect to see my brother in such a photo. My heart was in turmoil. I was so shocked that I didn't know what to say. (End of this chapter)