Druid's Country Retirement

Chapter 346 Lights
When we came to the lighting spot, many people had arrived ahead of time, including villagers and curious tourists.

In the crowd, Li Hongbing saw Zhao Xiaoyong and the employees of the two companies.

Nod and say hello.

Village head Li Huaizhong walked to the open space by the river bank and shouted at the villagers.

"ignition!"

Whoa!
Two rows of torches appeared one after another on both sides of the Qingshui River, heading towards the distance along both sides of the river bank.

The villagers stood on the shore spontaneously with their families.

At this time, several drones hovered in the sky and took pictures of this shocking scene.

Zhao Xiaoyong opened the live broadcast room and synchronized the whole process of releasing river lanterns in Caogou Village.

Dakui led the gong and drum team, beating thumping, especially the suona sound played by Lao Gen in the team, which was particularly loud on the silent meadow.

Next, Li Huaizhong took a torch made of fire paper, lit it, and walked slowly into the Qingshui River. The water reached his waist before he stopped, and the sound of gongs and drums stopped abruptly.

Standing in the water, Li Huaizhong held the burning fire paper, bowed towards the southeast, northwest, and chanted aloud to the empty river.

"Today's Hungry Ghost Festival, Caogou Village prays for the blessings of the ancestors. Big ghosts and little ghosts, ghosts and ghosts are all far away, big or small, suffering is irrelevant, big and small, everything goes smoothly."

"Bless the whole village, young and old, safe and sound!"

The voice did not fall.

The villagers on the bank of the river knelt down in unison and shouted, "Bless the whole village, old and young, safe!""

Perhaps infected by the lantern-laying ceremony, the tourists also knelt down and chanted.

After the villagers shouted, Li Huaizhong put the burning fire paper in his hand into the water and shouted, "Light up the lamp!"

"Let's put the lanterns on!" The villagers got up and took out their offerings and river lanterns from their baskets.

at this time.

Some villager suddenly pointed at the surface of the water and stammered, "Look at that, the ancestors have appeared!!"

Everyone was puzzled and looked in the direction the villagers pointed.

There are a few floating wooden piles on the gentle water. The wooden piles are not surprising. The source of the Qingshui River is a forest, and the branches and rotten wood washed down by the rain are normal.

The problem is that these wooden stakes are shining!

Everyone in the forest area knows that when they see glowing things at night, they are either flashlights or wild animals.

But for so many years, I have never heard of any wild animals in the Qingshui River. It is nothing more than some larger fish, but the fish do not have such a backbone and swimming movements.

Unless, it's a water monkey!
The water monkey is a very mysterious legend in the forest area, especially among the older generation.

It is said that the water monkeys are the souls of the dead in the water. They have been wandering in the pond or the river, and they must wait there patiently until another one who is also drowned arrives before they can be reincarnated.

And if the person who is drowned due to an accident cannot be waited, then he will not be able to get rid of the shackles and go to reincarnation, and there will be those "water ghosts" who are eager to untie the shackles, forcibly dragging people into the water and drowning at the water's edge. To die, the forest district calls this method "finding a substitute for the dead ghost".

Therefore, adults in the forest area are generally very taboo about children at home, going to play by the water, for fear of accidents.

If you see children in the village playing by the pond, the adults will scare them, saying that there are "water monkeys" in it, and if anyone approaches them, they will drag you into the water. Many children are frightened after hearing this, and never dare to go there again Playing by the pond.

Moreover, even if it is not a child, the adults in the forest area are more taboo to go near the pond or the river at night, because they are afraid of the kind of accident in the legend.

The villagers turned pale with fright, looked at Huai Zhong in the water, and shouted loudly.

"Huaizhong come up quickly, there are water monkeys."

"Water monkey, run!"

"Lord Huaizhong, run back, run back!"

Li Huaizhong stood in the water, listening to the shouts from the bank, wishing he could turn around and curse.

You guys don't want to run away.

My fucking legs are covered in mud, it's useless to bluff on the shore, and I don't see you coming down to rescue me.

Seeing those bright spots of light swimming straight towards him.

Even Li Huaizhong could hear them splashing water.

He pulled out his legs vigorously, but his legs were still firmly sucked by the mud.

This time it's over!

Holding up his mobile phone, Zhao Xiaoyong tried his best to focus the camera on the Qingshui River, and the messages in the live broadcast room frantically swiped the screen.

The mobile phone lens is not good at night, and there is no fill light. Under the flickering light of the torches on the shore, the audience can vaguely see a few pairs of light spots on the water surface, which are like small light bulbs, swaying from side to side as they swim.

"No way, there really are water monkeys!"

"I heard my grandfather said that water monkeys, as long as they are caught by their feet, they will die."

"A few people die in our reservoir every year. It is said that there are water monkeys pulling people, and now they are not allowed to enter the water."

"We also have this saying here!"

"Don't talk nonsense, let's see who the water monkey is going in front of!"

Seeing those spots of light swimming towards him quickly, Li Huaizhong finally let go of his self-esteem, and turned around and shouted, "Hurry up and save me, my legs are stuck in the mud!"

Dakui on the shore, Lao Gen and the others left behind the gongs, drums and suonas. After decades of brotherhood, we can't just watch the brothers being dragged away by the water monkeys.

The moment he entered the water, Li Hongbing suddenly stepped out and stood in front of them.

"Uncle Red Soldier, don't worry about it, we are going to save people!"

"What time is it, Uncle Red Soldier, get out of the way!"

"Uncle Red Soldier, don't stop us."

Feeling the strong brotherhood between Dakui and the others, Li Hongbing shook his head and said, "There is no water monkey, that is the crocodile I put into the river this afternoon!"

What!
The angry Da Kui and the others stopped shouting abruptly, and stared blankly at Li Hongbing.

But Li Huaizhong in the river didn't know.

For a long time, no one went into the water, and the legs were sucked by the mud again, and the water monkey was about to swim to the front.

The desolation in my heart is beyond words.

Shout out, take care of my mother-in-law and baby!

Then close your eyes and wait for death to come.

Moments past.

The monkey pulled his feet without seeing the water, but there seemed to be something fluttering under his legs, and the silt and grass roots surfaced and were carried away by the current.

At this moment, the legs suddenly moved!
Li Huaizhong turned his head and ran to the shore, that feeling was more exciting than rushing home from the fields when he was a father for the first time.

Climbing to the shore was so exhausting that he seemed to have exhausted all his strength in one breath, and sat slumped on the ground, thinking back to the scene just now, his body was still shivering.

"Master, are you okay!"

"Father, how are you doing!"

Mrs. Guiying and her youngest son Li Youcai ran to her in a panic.

Looking at his mother-in-law, Li Huaizhong waved his hands, but when he saw his youngest son, the fire in his heart surged up, and he slapped his youngest son on the face with the strength he didn't know where he came from.

Snapped!
The sound was loud and crisp.

"Fuck you, I'll pull you up with shit and piss, and you'll just watch me drowned by a water monkey, right?"

Covering his face, Li Youcai froze for a moment, then reacted and howled aggrievedly, "Father, it's Lord Hong Soldier who didn't let us go into the water. I got into the water and was pulled back again."

Seeing this, Dakui and others hurriedly pulled Li Youcai away, telling Li Huaizhong that it was indeed Uncle Hongbing who refused to let him into the water, and that those light spots were crocodiles released into the river in the afternoon.

Li Hongbing walked to the bank and patted the water surface with his hands, only to hear the sound of splashing water.

Six crocodiles emerged from the water, swam out of the bank, and limped up the meadow.

Villagers and tourists saw six one-meter-long crocodiles, and rushed forward curiously. Tourists took out their mobile phones and clicked to take pictures, flashing lights one after another.

"What kind of crocodile is this?" Li Huaizhong staggered up to the crocodile and looked him up and down.

Li Hongbing squatted down and patted the crocodile's head.

"That's right, it was only released in the afternoon. I told them that if they find something falling into the river, they will come and have a look. They see you in the water and think you have fallen into the water, so they come to rescue people."

At this time, Li Huaizhong suddenly realized.

"No wonder something was digging mud around my legs, so they saved me, reckless, reckless!"

After listening to the whole process, the fear in Li Huaizhong's heart disappeared, and he hurriedly told the villagers to light up the lights quickly, not to be late, or else he would be disrespectful to his ancestors.

Gangzi's side is also very troublesome. Along the way, the children circled around it, poking at it for a while, pulling its hair for a while, and the brave ones even pulled Gangzi's tail.

For this group of little kids, Gangzi thinks he can kick one of them away with one kick, but under the eyes of the silly boy, he can only let the kids play with him.

The appearance of the crocodile rescued Gangzi from the fire and water, and the children ran to the shore one after another, ravaging the crocodile again.

But the crocodile was not used to them. Seeing the children moving their hands and feet, they turned their heads and dived into the water.

The children could only turn back in disappointment and continue to look for Gangzi. Before they could disperse, their parents grabbed their ears and beat them up, and then drove them to the river to start setting off lights.

At this time, the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, the bright moonlight sprinkled on the meadow, the stars were shining brightly, the sky and the earth were quiet, the evening wind blew gently, and the grass waves fluctuated with the wind, which seemed very pleasant.

One by one, the river lanterns glowing with candlelight were put into the river one by one, carrying the blessings of the villagers, and drifting along the water to the distance.

The audience in the live broadcast room quietly watched this beautiful picture, and the restlessness that could not be vented in their hearts seemed to drift away with the river lantern, and new thoughts came to their minds.

I'm going here!
I want to watch Gangzi, I want to watch crocodiles, I want to ride a horse
Finished with the river lights.

Li Hongbing took his family to bid farewell to the villagers, spread out on the meadow, and each went on their way home.

After entering the door, he saw Ouyang Hua and a woman sitting under the old oak tree.

Seeing the woman, Nannui stopped, with tears in her eyes, she broke free from Anna's palm and rushed towards the woman.

"mom!"

Wang Qian also ran forward and hugged her daughter. The mother and daughter who hadn't seen each other for many days hugged each other with tears in their eyes.

Ouyang Hua raised his eyebrows at Li Hongbing, signaling to come to the side for something to say.

"We'll move in tonight!"

"So fast, have you finished your yard?" Li Hongbing was stunned. It was only a few days before Lao Ou bought the yard. He had seen the yard himself, and it took ten days and half a month to get it right.

"I borrowed a construction team from Lao Qian. The materials are ready-made. I have already built a house that can accommodate three people. And Wang Qian plans to live in the village permanently. It is not suitable to live in your house." Ouyang Hua raised his head and looked at The direction of your own yard.

"Hey, there are others!" Li Hongbing showed a smile that any man could understand.

Old Ouyang Hua blushed a little, and retorted, "What's wrong, I can't watch you eat meat, I'm drooling."

I know that my daughter is going back to my own home.

Shan Xing cooked a table of dishes for Ouyang Hua's family of three. After all, Nannan lived in the old house during this time, and Li Hongbing and Shan Xing regarded them as their own, so they were somewhat reluctant to leave suddenly.

And Anna knew that her daughter was going to leave, and she burst into tears, ran into the tree house and cried loudly.

Hearing the crying, everyone at the table was even less interested in eating.

Li Hongbing picked up his wine glass, "Come on, congratulations to Lao Ou for moving to a new house. It's a custom in our countryside to burn the bottom of the pot when we move to a new house. Don't fool me with cabbage and radishes tomorrow!"

"How could it happen!" Ouyang Hua and his wife toasted quickly.

After a hasty meal, the willows were on the top of the moon, and the family of three rushed home to clean up the house, so they didn't stay much.

Before leaving, Nannie was very sad. Anna never walked out of the tree house, and could only follow her parents to leave the old house step by step. Little did she know that in the slightly opened window of the treehouse, a pair of red eyes watched her out of sight.

"Brother, go and see Nier." Shan Xing pushed Li Hongbing, looked up at the dark tree house.

Ugh!
Li Hongbing sighed, nodded and came to the tree house, "Anna, Dad is here!"

After that, he walked up the stairs and gently opened the door.

Seeing Li Hongbing appearing, the princess, Jiji, and Xiong Zai stepped forward cautiously, moaning softly.

Anna hugged her legs and curled up by the window, which made people feel distressed.

Li Hongbing walked over, opened the window, and let the moonlight shine into the tree house.

She stretched out her hand and hugged Anna into her arms. At this moment, Anna seemed to find support, and wrapped her arms around Li Hongbing's neck, crying loudly.

In this regard, the only thing Li Hongbing can do is to comfort his daughter silently.

I have experienced the pain of separation from my friends, and the sadness cannot be described in words.

Back then, my parents came to the village to pick me up into the city, and when I learned that I was going to leave the home where I had lived for 12 years and go to a strange place, I felt like I had a rabies disease, crying, cursing, making noise, and even running away from home to hide in inside the mountain.

In the end, he was forcibly taken away. He took the opportunity of urinating halfway and ran away. He ran for dozens of miles and ran back to Caogou Village. His parents were so scared that their legs went limp.

When he arrived in the city, he still refused to obey the discipline, skipped classes at school, got into fights, and ran away from home. His parents really had no choice but to move out of his grandfather to calm himself down.

"Father, isn't Sister Nanxi coming back?" Anna, who had cried enough, looked up at Li Hongbing.

"Your big sister lives in the village. If you miss her, you can go to her at any time." Li Hongbing said softly, "And what's the use of crying, remember, crying can't solve the problem, think back then."

Under the old oak tree, Shan Xing finally let go of her heart hanging in the air when she heard the clear laughter of the child coming from the tree house.

After putting Anna to sleep, Li Hongbing heaved a sigh of relief, quietly left the tree house, and returned to the bedroom, where Shan Xing was arranging the big and small bags in the house.

"Anna is asleep?"

"Sleep, where are there so many gift boxes?"

"Sister Qian gave it to me, but I said no, so I had to stuff it to me. This skirt only has two strips of cloth, how can I wear it out?" Shan Xing took out a black suspender dress from the gift box, and gestured on her body.

Li Hongbing looked dry.

"Myolie, let me see if you put it on, it must be beautiful!"

How could Shan Xing know how to wear it? Li Hongbing couldn't help but persuade him again and again, and shyly changed into a dress.

Shan Xing pursed her lips and looked at Li Hongbing with a blushing face. Her skin was as white as a fresh water chestnut, and her slender body was lightly wrapped in a black suspender dress, flowing from her body to the ground like water waves.

Woohoo! ! !
Li Hongbing instantly turned into a wolf.

(End of this chapter)