Anecdote of the Yellow River

Chapter 8 The coffin hidden in the turtle shell (2)
Grandpa took a sip of his tea and was full of praise for this fake granddaughter-in-law, "This little girl is awesome! She is beautiful, polite, highly educated, and hardworking. What's the name of that poem?" The song should only exist in the sky, but it is rare to hear it in the world'!"

Although my grandfather has not read many books, he especially likes poetry and songs, and writes poems and lyrics by himself when he has nothing to do.He also likes calligraphy very much, and his brush calligraphy is very charming. If there are any big or small things in the village, red or white, I always ask my grandfather to leave some calligraphy.Grandpa often said: "People always think that those who do our kind of work are uneducated people. I just want to learn more, improve my own quality, and change people's narrow view of us."

After chatting with my grandpa for a few words, I finally brought the topic down to business. I asked my grandpa, "I remember that you haven't been on a boat for the past two years. Why did you think about going on a boat again a few days ago?"

Grandpa lit the tobacco that was only half left, took a sip and said, "I was invited to go!"

I said, "Oh. The price must be high, right?"

Grandpa's reputation in the Yellow River Basin is quite big.Generally speaking, it will be more expensive to take the initiative to ask the corpse hunter to leave the ship.However, in recent years, my grandfather has grown old, and he no longer goes on the boat in many cases. It must be very expensive to ask him to go on the boat again.

Unexpectedly, Grandpa actually replied: "You are wrong! I will not charge a penny for this trip!"

"Ah?" I looked at Grandpa in surprise, "Not a penny? Why?"

Grandpa exhaled a puff of smoke and said slowly: "Do you remember what I often taught you? There are actually many things in life that are more meaningful than money. Half a month ago, a couple in Yuncheng, Shanxi found me , I hope I can help them salvage their son's body. Their family is very difficult. The husband was a miner and his wife was farming in the countryside. Unfortunately, the husband lost a leg in the mine disaster, and the family lost their main labor force. In order to make ends meet, their ten-year-old son voluntarily dropped out of school and dug sand by the Yellow River for others. Due to overwork, he stumbled and fell into the Yellow River. I suspect that my son's body has been washed downstream, so I want to ask me to help find it. After hearing what happened to them, I promised to find the son who fell into the water for them, and I will not charge a penny!"

I looked at my grandpa with admiration. This is the real Yellow River corpse hunter, and greatness is revealed in the ordinary.However, this precious spirit is exactly what is missing in modern society.

I asked Grandpa, "Did you find their son?"

Grandpa asked back: "What do you think? I am a man who scoops up corpses in the Yellow River. As long as I take over the work, I will definitely be able to finish it! Alas, that child is very poor. When I found him, the corpse was already swollen." , like a white chrysalis floating on the water. I picked him up and soaked him in the corpse pool, and his parents will come and take him home in two days!"

I nodded, "What about that turtle coffin?"

Grandpa said: "I went out of the boat three times. The child's body was found on the third trip, and the tortoise coffin was found on the second trip. It was sunset, and I took the boat home. I saw the tortoise coffin on the way. At that time, only a black and swarthy tortoise was exposed on the water. I thought it was a thousand-year-old buffalo that had become fine. After I salvaged it, I realized that it was not a buffalo. There is actually a coffin hidden inside the turtle shell!"

I put down the teacup, "Where is that tortoise coffin?"

Grandpa said: "It's in the backyard of the old house, I'll take you to see it later!"

After the Gu Mei Di was packed, we went to the old house with Grandpa.

The old house is just across from the new building, just across a small road.

I was relatively poor in the past, and most of the building materials for the houses were local materials. They were built with rammed earth from the yellow mud on the banks of the Yellow River, and the roofs were covered with tiles or straw. ".

Pushing open the courtyard door, a gust of wind blew up from the ground and hit the outside, rolling up two fallen leaves.

Grandpa said to Gu Meidi: "Future granddaughter-in-law, my room is a bit cloudy, why don't you wait outside the door?"

Gu Meidi said: "Grandpa, I'm not afraid! Don't forget, I'm a professional archaeologist, and I've been to ancient tombs that are darker. Besides, I also want to see the tortoise coffin with my own eyes." What does it look like!"

We came to the backyard, and the mysterious tortoise coffin was quietly placed in the center of the yard.

Gu Meidi and I put on sterile gloves, and each walked forward with a cleaning brush for archaeology.

The tortoise coffin was more than two meters long and about one meter high. The lid and the bottom of the coffin were covered with two pieces of tortoise shells the size of the Eight Immortals' Table, and a black coffin was hidden in it, looking lifeless.The shape of the whole turtle coffin is like a huge clam, which looks very weird.It is incredible that this coffin has not rotted at all after being soaked in water for so many years.

I asked my grandpa to fetch a basin of clear water, and then poured some chemical liquid into the clear water, and the basin of clear water soon turned into ice blue.We use a brush dipped in the ice-blue mixture, and carefully brush off the water plants and silt on the surface of the tortoise shell.

The yard is quiet, and the occasional chirping of insects from the grass outside adds to the sense of silence.

The sun scorched our backs, and beads of sweat dripped down our cheeks one by one.

With the joint efforts of Gu Meidi and I, the tortoise shell covering the surface of the coffin lid finally revealed its original appearance.To our surprise, the tortoise shell as big as the Table of Eight Immortals is not composed of several small tortoise shells, it is a whole piece, a huge intact tortoise shell.Under the sunlight, the surface of the tortoise shell has a faint blue light, just like the ancient time that has passed away.

I grew up so big, and the biggest tortoise I ever saw was only the size of a washbasin. It was caught by my grandfather in the Yellow River, but my grandfather later released the tortoise.He said that the tortoise had lived in the Yellow River for at least a hundred years and had already become a spirit. It was a spirit beast, and it could not be hurt, or it would be bad luck.

I turned my head and asked Grandpa, "Have you ever seen such a big turtle?"

Grandpa reached out and touched the hard turtle shell, "I have been walking on the Yellow River for 50 years, and I have never seen such a big giant turtle. However, the old river worker of the Yellow River once told me a strange story of 'nine turtles carrying snakes'. This kind of giant tortoise is mentioned in it.”

Gu Meidi became interested, put down his work, and pestered his grandpa, saying, "Grandpa, grandpa, I want to hear the story of the nine turtles carrying a snake!"

For the request of "future granddaughter-in-law", grandpa would naturally not refuse. He pulled a small bench and sat down, and slowly narrated in his unique hoarse voice: "In the early days of the Republic of China, there was a year when the Yellow River flooded. Afterwards, the fishermen found a thick gray-white tree trunk on the water. What is strange is that there are white scales growing on the tree trunk, shining in the sun."

"The fishermen were very curious, so they rowed over to see what was so strange about the thick tree trunk. When the fishermen came close, someone threw a hook and hooked it to the tree trunk, trying to take a closer look. Suddenly , the tree trunk moved strangely. At this moment, the sharp-eyed fishermen discovered in horror that it was not a tree trunk at all, but a gray-white python with a wheel-sized snake head protruding from the water, spraying A misty mist came out."

"The fishermen were all shocked. They had never seen such a big python. The python was over 20 meters long and as thick as a water tank. It was covered with silvery white snake scales. Its eyes were as red as blood. It was as big as an adult. The size of his fist. The scarlet snake letter fluttered in the air, making a whirring sound, which was extremely frightening."

"The fishermen didn't dare to move, and watched the giant python float past. What is puzzling is that the giant python didn't twist its body, so why did it float away with the water? No wonder everyone put It looks like a tree trunk."

"However, when the python drifted by, some careful fishermen found a row of huge black shadows under the python's body, and they didn't know what it was."

"Several daring fishermen paddled their boats and followed them quietly. After a distance of nearly 1000 meters, the giant python slowly surfaced, and the row of black shadows under the giant python's body were also in the water. looming."

"The fishermen finally saw clearly that the row of black shadows turned out to be nine giant green-armored tortoises connected end to end. The nine giant tortoises were lined up, and the one behind was biting the tail of the one in front, as if connected in series. And the gray-white giant python was lying comfortably on the backs of nine giant tortoises, letting them float on its back."

"With regard to the phenomenon of giant tortoises carrying snakes, no experts or scholars have been able to give a reasonable explanation until now."

"Later, someone said that the gray and white giant python was not an ordinary python, but the Dragon Prince in the Yellow River. The nine giant tortoises were the guards beside the Dragon Prince. They were responsible for carrying the giant python to the mouth of the Yellow River. When they arrived at the mouth of the Yellow River, That gray and white python will transform into a dragon!"

Gu Meidi and I clicked our tongues again and again, there are too many unexplainable phenomena in nature, will that giant python turn into a dragon?No one can tell.

I took the shovel and hammer out of the toolbox, "Okay, now let's open the coffin and have a look!"

Gu Meidi squatted on the ground and observed carefully with a magnifying glass. She reached out and knocked on the coffin, and there was a dull echo from inside the coffin.

Gu Meidi showed surprise, "This coffin is made of dark wood, it's a dark wood coffin!"

Gloomy wood is a very precious wood, it has the quaint wood and stone charm, known as "Oriental god wood" and "plant mummy".The gloomy wood is made by burying all the plants and other organisms on the ground in the low-lying places such as the ancient river bed by earthquakes, floods, mudslides, etc., and then in the state of anoxic and high pressure, under the action of bacteria and other microorganisms, it has been carbonized for tens of thousands of years. Formed, so it is also called "carbonized wood".

Coffins made of gloomy wood are not only moisture-proof, anti-corrosion, but also insect-proof, and their own value is precious. Therefore, in ancient times, only royal nobles could be buried in gloomy wooden coffins after their death.Gloomy wood has also become a symbol of nobility, and ordinary people are not qualified to use it at all.

Gu Meidi and I looked at each other. Since this coffin is made of dark wood, it means that the person in the coffin must be a royal nobleman.It seems that our trip was not in vain, and we actually harvested a royal coffin.What dynasty is this coffin from?Who is the person in the coffin?All this will not be known until after the coffin is opened.

I took the hammer and walked around, but I didn't find a gap where I could strike. The dark wood coffin was like a natural thing.I couldn't help being surprised, isn't this a coffin, just a complete piece of gloomy wood?
"Tuobagu, come and see here!" Gu Meidi waved at me holding a magnifying glass.

I walked over and squatted beside her, and she pointed to the inside of the end of the tortoise shell, where a small silver ring was set.Because the ring is inside the tortoise shell, it's hard to find.

"What is this?" I asked suspiciously.

Gu Meidi said: "It's like a small machine, let me try to pull it!"

I nodded, "Be careful!"

"How did you become a mother-in-law, step aside and look at me!" Gu Meidi rolled up his sleeves, stretched out his fingers to hook the buckle, and pulled it out forcefully.

There was silence for two seconds, and then I heard a weird rattling sound coming from inside the coffin. I stood by the side with a hammer in my hand, and watched the dark wood coffin vigilantly. I killed it with a hammer.

"Look! Look!" Gu Meidi exclaimed happily.

I saw a drawer-like inner coffin slowly sliding out from the center of the coffin. I widened my eyes and opened my mouth in surprise.The design of this yin wood coffin is simply ingenious. There is an inner coffin inlaid in the yin wood coffin, and a machine is installed inside the coffin. Once the machine is activated, the inner coffin will slide out of the coffin like a drawer, which is very delicate. .

We gathered around and saw the corpse of a young man lying quietly inside the drawer-like inner coffin.After so many years, the male corpse is still lifelike, the facial features are clear, the skin and flesh are intact, without the slightest rot, at first glance, one may think that he is just sleeping soundly.I poked lightly with my finger, and found that his skin was still a little elastic. It seemed that his body was well maintained in the dark wood coffin.

This male corpse has a long and narrow face, a strong nose bridge, deep eyes, a hedgehog helmet and a black armor, and a curved Lengyue knife in his right hand.Although he has been sleeping in the coffin for thousands of years, we can still feel the strong murderous aura emanating from him.

I was slightly taken aback, the image of this ancient corpse was somewhat different from what we had imagined. We originally thought that the person in the coffin must be a relative of the emperor wearing a dragon and a phoenix, but we did not expect it to be a warrior with a weapon in his hand.

I said, "Judging from his clothing, he should have been a warrior in his lifetime. But he was definitely not an ordinary warrior, otherwise he would not be able to enjoy the royal treatment of a shady wooden coffin."

"Hmm!" Gu Meidi nodded, "His appearance is obviously different from that of people from the Central Plains, and I think he is closer to people from the Western Regions."

Wearing sterile gloves, we touched the ancient corpse from head to toe, but we didn't find a single burial object, which was beyond our expectations.

Gu Meidi suggested to me, "Let's turn the ancient corpse over and have a look!"

I nodded in agreement, because some ancient people liked to put their treasures under their bodies when they were buried.

Grandpa found a straw mat, and Gu Meidi and I carefully lifted the ancient corpse out of the inner coffin, laid it flat on the straw mat, and then helped him turn over.

Gu Meidi and I have a tacit division of labor and cooperation. I reached out to touch the bottom of the coffin, and Gu Meidi reached out to touch the back of the ancient corpse.

To my great disappointment, the bottom of the coffin was empty and there was nothing.

At this moment, Gu Meidi called me over loudly, and I was overjoyed, "Did you find the funeral objects?"

"No." Gu Meidi shook his head, "There is not even a single funeral object on him."

"Alas!" I sighed heavily, "Without funeral objects, it is difficult to guess the age of the ancient corpse."

"But it's not completely undiscovered." Gu Meidi pulled down the armor on the ancient corpse's back by half an inch, then pointed to the back of the ancient corpse's neck, "Look here!"

I leaned over to take a closer look, and saw a tattoo on the back of the ancient corpse's neck.It was a lifelike eyeball, like a living eye growing on the nape of the neck.The pupils are a strange turquoise color, revealing a gloomy and piercing light faintly, which made me shiver for no reason.

I didn't dare to look at that eyeball tattoo again, so I turned my head and asked Gu Meidi, "Do you know of any ethnicity that has eyeball worship or eyeball totems?"

Gu Meidi shook his head, "In the knowledge base stored in my brain, I really can't find any records about eyeball tattoos."

If there is something that Gu Meidi doesn't know, then it must be very difficult.I took out my mobile phone, took several photos of the ancient corpse, and passed them to Professor Ye, hoping that the knowledgeable Professor Ye could find the answer.

After busying for a long time, we couldn't find any more useful physical evidence, so we had no choice but to put the ancient corpse back into the coffin for the time being, and wait for Professor Ye's reply before making a plan.

(End of this chapter)