Country Paranormal Archives

Chapter 31 The Blinking Portrait

"Everyone, wait, don't leave. There is another important thing that I almost forgot to say. Everyone agrees to demolish the house, but which family leader is willing to go with me? It is better to have more people, I will count one first .” The village head hurriedly called back some village representatives who had gone out.

"I'll go..." "I'll be counted as one..." In the end, there were a total of ten people who signed up on the spot, and almost all the men signed up, only a few thin and timid women didn't speak.The village head thought that everyone would have scruples and was unwilling to carry out the demolition work. Who knew that everyone was so active and enthusiastic in supporting the work.

The demolition of the house naturally spread to our village, and the first thing Grandpa felt was against it when he heard about it.He felt that it would be disrespectful to the deceased if it was really demolished, and other problems might arise later.After all, the story of the haunted house had been rumored for so many years and the old man hadn't moved out. Perhaps he also knew that the house was haunted, and there must be some special complex that made him reluctant to leave.

Originally, he came here to flee famine, so he would cherish his home even more. After he died, the house he lived in for nearly a century will be demolished by future generations. Even if he is a ghost, he probably won't let it go.

There is a saying among rural people that one should never move one's home after death, that one's own home is better than anywhere else, and one would never leave one's home even if one dies.

"Old woman, do you think it's wrong for the village next door to do this thing? I always think it's not good to demolish other people's houses. After all, I've been dead for so many years." Grandpa squatted on the steps, smoking a cigarette, a little worried, his brows furrowed .

"Is there anything right or wrong? Everyone in the village agrees, so it's hard for us to say anything. The old man is just a relative who is separated from us. If we directly say that we oppose the demolition of the house, it doesn't make sense. Leave him alone, anyway. Everyone is dead, so let's just take care of ourselves." Grandma said while she was spreading the millet and calling the chicks to eat.

"I think that the portrait of the old man is still in that room. Maybe the soul is also there. If he came directly to demolish the house, it wouldn't make a fuss. It's strange that he died back then. I still remember the Taoist said no, black cat The town house, protecting the old man so that he did not let the king of Hades take away his soul. A person who deserved to die has lived for so many years. Who can do this without some way? There is also the ghost shadow in the house before, saying There may be a commotion if the house is demolished."

"Hey, you think a lot all day long. I really don't know where you read the sage books. At least you went to school. Can you stop talking about it like this. Now it's not advocating to break the feudal superstition and believe in scientific knowledge. Fortunately, the Cultural Revolution has passed long ago, otherwise I would have charged you with superstitious and reactionary charges, and arrested and denounced you!" Grandma felt a little helpless about Grandpa's always suspicious thoughts.Although she also knew that what happened to the old man back then was indeed unimaginable, but after all, there was no conclusion, and no one could tell what happened.What if that Taoist is talking nonsense?Anyway, she had never seen any white shadows, so how could she believe in such unreliable things.

"You always don't believe what I say, what science is not scientific, then I have a problem with my own brain, you have seen it. I can tell you a lie, I saw the woman and the black cat with my own eyes Yes. In the past, the old mason in our village was Zhang Chuanben, who was of my generation. Those who learned Taoism in the early years also said the same thing as the Taoist priests back then. Forget it, forget it, I won’t tell you these things, anyway. I won’t demolish the house for my own affairs in the next village, and I won’t be responsible for any accidents. Just watch, this matter won’t go so smoothly.” Grandpa agreed that if the old man’s house was demolished , not only will it not destroy that shady land, but it will cause unpredictable consequences.

It is said that the house has been vacant for a long time, and people can't live without ghosts.It was originally a place haunted by ghosts, but now it is estimated that it has long been occupied by lonely ghosts. There is a place that blocks the sun during the day, and any ghost will like it.You went to demolish it all at once, didn't you mean to feel sorry for the ghost.

"What can there be? It's because you think too much. Huh, if you don't believe me, let's make a bet. If nothing happens, you won't be allowed to drink for a month. Just save a few money for the children's tuition." Grandma laughed as she spoke. Alright, wine is grandpa's favorite, and he can get hungry without drinking. If he loses this time, grandpa probably won't dare to bet casually again.

"It's a bet. I say something will happen." Grandpa is not afraid at all, and something will happen after he is sure.However, this time he really got it right.

On the day the house was demolished, in order to avoid accidents, the village next door even asked a magician to calculate the location of the ground breaking, and did some magic tricks to fear that ghosts would make trouble.Although the village head is educated, this is a custom passed down in the countryside for thousands of years, a tradition left by the ancestors.The sorcerer didn't know what he was talking about. He planted three sticks of incense in front of the house, burned amulets and paper money, threw a few copper coins on the ground, and finally sprinkled wine to say that he was filial to the father-in-law of the land.

After some actions, everyone's hearts were a little calmer, and they were still a little scared before.Before approaching this haunted place, I felt the cold air rushing from the soles of my feet to the Tianling Gai, which made the people who came with me shrink back in fright.This ceremony is simply finished, I don't know if it's because of psychological reasons or what, it seems that the yin energy is really less, the sun seems to be a little bigger, and the body is warmer.

Today's wind is stronger than usual, although it is summer, it doesn't feel hot at all.Maybe it's because the mountains are dense and forested, and it's cooler.On the way here, the path up the mountain has already been tightly covered by thorns and shrubs, and there is no trace of people passing by at all.This piece of land is surrounded by woods, and it is impossible to tell them apart unless you look carefully.

No one has taken care of the house for several years, and this time it looks even more dilapidated.There are many weeds growing on the roof, and the wide field in front of the door is also overgrown with grass and trees, and you can drown your knees when you walk in.The white couplets from that year were still pasted on the door, and a big inscription reminded the old man that he had been dead for many years.The handwriting that has been eroded by rain, wind and frost can hardly see the original strokes, but there are faint ink marks, which can be discerned vaguely.

The wooden lattices on the windows have been corroded and in some places almost eaten away by termites.The plastic paper that blocked the wind was also broken into pieces, swaying with the wind.The window is dark, and I always feel that someone is looking out from the inside, which is a little scary.

Many roof tiles were blown down on the porch in front of the door, and the cracks on the walls seemed to indicate that the house could not last long.The wall on the west side of the kitchen has been crooked, and a large part of the roof has already collapsed.The surrounding abandoned houses in the early years have now collapsed into a row of ruins, and there is no need to demolish them, which saves a lot of effort.

After the warlock danced and danced, the village head called on everyone to put down the first shovel from the designated position.This shovel is just for show and formality. In fact, the real thing is to directly smash the wall with a big hammer.

"Big guy, let's demolish the kitchen on the west side first. That wall has already collapsed. Don't touch the main beam or the main room in front. Pay attention to the top of your head and keep an eye on the direction of the collapse of the wall so as not to hurt yourself. Thank you for your hard work. For the sake of the good weather of our village and the safety of people and animals, the demolition will begin now." The young village head stood in front of the house and made a gesture of clenching his fists upwards. It is probably also the style of an official who has learned a lot from books.

"Oh oh oh...", the villagers responded as if they were going to do something big, while swinging their shovels and hammers.Soon, there was a loud bang from the first hammer, followed by several hammers, the half crooked wall on the west side fell down with a bang, and the dust rose up like smoke, making several people cough So many voices.

Everyone was working in full swing, but they forgot that the portrait of the old man was still standing upright on the table in the main room. The eyes in the photo blinked suddenly, revealing strong resentment and anger.

It was seven or eight o'clock in the morning, and the sun was getting stronger and stronger, and it was shining down through the gaps between the leaves, leaving mottled light and shadows on the ground.From the perspective of enjoying the scenery, the beauty of the mountains is indeed refreshing, but of course we must first ignore the ruined houses and wild grass.

After ordering the tasks, the villagers picked up the tools and started working.House demolition is a laborious task, but fortunately, the villagers are full of enthusiasm to contribute to the village and do not feel it is a burden.

This is a lively scene, but looking inside through the door of the main room, the portrait of the old man on the Eight Immortals table in the middle of the main room seems a little weird.

I don't know if it's because it hasn't been taken care of for a long time or it's been exposed to the air and eroded by water vapor. The face in the photo is a little deformed, but the eyes are hideous and terrifying, as if they were alive. They are wide-eyed and murderous.

It took more than ten minutes from the start of the demolition of the house to the removal of the kitchen wall.There are many people and strength, and the wall itself is about to collapse, and it is not very strong. After a few hammers, it becomes a pile of dirt.

Because the wall bricks were all rammed and pressed with soil back then, it was easy to dismantle them, which also reduced the difficulty of the work.However, until the half of the house on the west side was demolished, the village head and others did not consider the portrait of the old man.

I don't know if it's because the village head was careless, or because he just took office. I don't know that the old man's portrait is placed in this main room.It was this small negligence that led to the series of things that happened next.

One misstep became eternal hatred, but in the end the village chief didn't even know how to hate, because he hated a dead person.It is not sensational that a person who has been dead for several years can still do mischief and harm others.

"Village chief, village chief..." A person waved and shouted at the village chief who was chatting not far away.

"What's the matter?" Huang Jianguo was chatting with the previous warlock, asking some things about the particularity of the method.He is mainly in charge of the general command, so he is not directly involved in the demolition.

"The kitchen on the west side has been dismantled, and which side should we dismantle first, the row of rooms in the backyard?" The other villagers who were working also stopped, drinking water to wipe their sweat while they were asking questions, and resting for a while.

"First demolish the room above the cellar, and then move on to the row of houses in the backyard. Don't move the front row. I'll talk about the rest later." The village chief said while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Although the summer in the mountains is not too hot, they are sweating profusely within a few minutes of working. Fortunately, they are all peasants and have no complaints.

The house of the old man’s house took a lot of effort when it was built, and the small courtyard house has a total of about 10 rooms.The front, that is, the south-facing side, has three rooms including the main room, a kitchen and a cellar on the west, three houses in the backyard on the north, a utility room and a granary on the east, and a barn in the middle. Large rectangular yard.With such a large area, it will be demolished in a short time, and I still can't bear it.

(End of this chapter)