Chapter 34 Riding Yunyao
Nanchu No. 1 Middle School, conference room in the Academic Affairs Building.
"Xiao Tan, when the time comes, do you think what I thought about the lighting is okay?" Wang Xiaoan asked.
Tan Xiao is attending a meeting for the school anniversary performance. Next week is the school anniversary of Nanchu No. 1 Middle School, and the class teacher asked Tan Xiao to sign up a long time ago.
Wang Xiaoan is the director of this evening party. He also graduated from Nanchu No. 1 Middle School and now works at Nanchu TV Station. The school specially hired him to plan the evening party. He is also an old acquaintance of the Tan family. Tan Xiao has also participated in many cultural performances in Nanchu with Tan Chunying and has worked with Wang Xiaoan before.
Wang Xiaoan respected his opinion. After all, he knew that the Tan family's performances were quite mature and they had been performing longer than he had been a director. Moreover, Tan Chunying had already gone beyond Nanchu and had performed in the province, outside the province, and even abroad.
"Oh, maybe I need to track the light on my drum." Tan Xiao was going to perform the Chuwu drum dance "Feather Dance". He communicated with Wang Xiaoan and decided on an overall plan.
"Sure, we can just rehearse it and walk the stage and that'll be fine." Wang Xiaoan was very confident in Tan Xiao. After all, he was a professional. Many of the programs were arranged for this party, but Tan Xiao had practiced his programs since he was a child.
"Okay." Tan Xiao nodded.
Senior Ruan who gave the lecture before was also there. The school anniversary invited some alumni, and it seemed that their alumni also had a joint singing program.
After the meeting, the students had to go back to the classroom as they had classes in the afternoon, while the adults made plans to go out for dinner.
"Teacher Ruan is going too. We'll have fish for lunch." Wang Xiaoan greeted Ruan Zhanxue.
"I still have to go back and clean up," Ruan Zhanxue said helplessly, "There was a fire in the kitchen where I live a few days ago, and I still have to clean up."
"Is it the neighborhood next to the school? I think I saw a video on WeChat Moments." Wang Xiaoan said in amazement, "It was a teacher from our school who also lives there. He took the video and said someone's house was on fire. It turned out to be yours... Ah, I'm glad no one is hurt. Be careful with fire."
"Well, it was a momentary negligence. This is the first time in all the years I've lived alone. Fortunately, only a small fire broke out in the kitchen, and it's not particularly serious." Ruan Zhanxue also looked depressed. He remembered something and said again.
"There's a fortune teller in the nearby park. When I was taking a walk, he asked me to have my fortune told. He actually told me that I've been having bad luck lately. He said it was because my kitchen is in the northwest corner. It's a fire zone. If it's not eliminated, it will still be prone to fire. I said, do I have to redecorate the house? The fortune teller told me to change my name. It would cost 500 yuan to change my name."
"Hahahaha, there are a lot of fortune tellers in that place, just ignore them. If you do, they will pester you until you spend money." Wang Xiaoan smiled wickedly and pointed at Tan Xiao and said, "Even if you want to tell fortunes, you might as well find our junior brother Tan Xiao. He is a real fortune teller."
Ruan Zhanxue looked at Tan Xiao, looking quite interested: "Oh?"
"The fortune teller has two lips. Every word he says comes true according to circumstances, but you don't have to believe them too much." Tan Xiao knew too well how fortune tellers deceive people.
"The name change is purely for the sake of making money. Five hundred yuan is too expensive, so a stall owner can just give a name for one hundred yuan! In Nanchu, we need to put out fires. We need to find someone with good luck to get a piece of mud from the bottom of the well and paste it on the stove."
"Haha, interesting." Ruan Zhanxue was already laughing when he heard him talking about the market price. He immediately wrote it down on his phone. It was quite interesting to him and could be used as writing material. "It seems that I don't understand the art of talking."
Tan Xiao consoled him, "It's normal that you don't understand, mainly because I've learned it before."
Ruan Zhanxue: “…”
…
The first class in the afternoon was geography. As soon as the geography teacher came in, he asked the class representative to distribute some paper materials to everyone. He looked at them and said, "I have news for everyone. We are going to carry out geography practical activities outdoors..."
As soon as the word "outdoors" was uttered, the whole class cheered.
Outdoors, activities, isn’t that just an outing?
Practical activities are carried out every semester, but the plans are different. Previously, they made models and drew pictures indoors. This is the first time they have gone out.
"Hahaha, okay, okay." The geography teacher had been to school himself, so he knew how they felt. "Let's follow the old rules. Everyone will form teams and complete the task. There are different options. We will all take the bus the day after tomorrow and start the task in Qiyunling in the afternoon. It will take about three to four hours. Everyone can make some preparations in advance."
Tan Xiao took a look and found that the plan included consulting materials, understanding the soil and use of geographical tools in Nanchu, selecting points for problem observation, soil sampling, taking photos and recording; or observing and understanding the traditional dwellings in Nanchu. All of them required completing a paper report after returning.
"There is still a choice, that's great." Lin Yang always laughs at everything, and immediately calls Tan Xiao, "Boss, which option do you choose?"
Tan Xiao looked at it and said, "Maybe they'll choose soil sampling, what about you?"
Compared to building, he would rather dig the soil.
"Oh, you are indeed the one who dug the tomb of the King of Chu. I will follow you." Lin Yang couldn't help but make this joke again, "It's just that riding to Yunling seems a bit far. I went there during the summer vacation and took a long time to ride."
There is no way. The soil is easy to say. The urban area is full of new buildings, and there are few old houses. Where are the traditional houses? Only in some old villages and towns in Nanchu are there still many traditional houses, and even some well-preserved Ming and Qing villages, Qiyunling is one of them.
"Kong Xuan, how about we form a group of three?" Tan Xiao asked very smoothly. After all, not only had everyone put aside their past grudges, but Teacher Ji also asked him to persuade them to study again and again.
Kong Xuan also found it pleasing to hear. Since Tan Xiao had invited him to join the outing, he was about to say it was up to him. After thinking for a moment, he raised his head and said, "Okay."
"Okay, then let's do some research and complete the preliminary work."
Tan Xiao collected information about Qiyuling for preparation. On Qiyuling there was the former Nanchu official road, and the ancient road is still intact. It is run through by the Nanxi River, and it is still a place for many Nanchu people to cool off and relax in the summer.
There are many homestays at the foot of the mountain. Further up the mountain, there are many Yao people living there. These Yao people have retained the characteristics of mountain dwelling. Because they are in Qiyunling, the locals also call them Qiyun Yao.
There were many ethnic minorities living in Chu, and they had a profound mutual influence with the Chu people during the long history. Moreover, the witch culture was equally prevalent among the Yao, Miao, and Dong ethnic groups, and they also exchanged what they had with the Han witches.
Because Yu Zhenzhen chose to study the dwellings of the Qiyun Yao people, Tan Xiao also asked Tan Chunying on her behalf: "Mom, do you know anything about the Yao people in Qiyunling?"
"Why don't you understand?" Tan Chunying was applying a facial mask, her eyes full of memories as she said, "In the past, everyone was researching cultural tourism, and those Yao people were very competitive with me! Just because they are a minority, the Tourism Bureau and travel agencies said they wanted to be more diverse and give them routes. I was so angry that I got a tattoo to look better and more attractive, but this big snake tattoo hurts so much!"
Tan Xiao:? ?
Tan Xiao's pupils trembled: "Wait, didn't you tell me that this is a thousand-year-old tradition of spiritual masters, and that they must get tattoos when they reach a certain age?"
Tan Chunying paused for a moment while pulling the facial mask, then picked up the cup of water and took a sip, then another sip, her eyes rolling around.
Tan Xiao said desperately: "Haven't you figured out how to make it work?"
"Oh!" Tan Chunying put down the cup and consoled her, "Mom didn't just lie to you. I told everyone and the TV station the same thing! Life forced me to do it, I had no choice!"
Tan Xiao: "..."
That’s great. Starting with me, creating my own folk customs, right?
Tan Xiao now began to doubt the things he had learned, and whether there were other things that were also made up by Tan Chunying for business purposes.
"Okay, have you packed your water bottle and other things? Aren't we going to Qiyunling to do our homework?" Tan Chunying abruptly changed the subject. Qiyunling is still some distance away from the city, so one should always bring some snacks, fruits and water on the way back and forth.
"Hmm..." Tan Xiao went upstairs weakly.
He saw Peacock God suddenly appear beside him, looking at him with a teasing look. He probably heard what Tan Chunying said just now. He said calmly: "Don't say it. I know my mother has poor character."
Kong Xuan was choked and raised his eyebrows and asked, "Did I mean to say that?"
"It must be something like this." Tan Xiao muttered. He packed a backpack and checked it one last time. He saw that Peacock God kept tapping the floor tiles with his left foot, as if he couldn't hold back any longer.
It was a bit strange... Tan Xiao suppressed his doubts and said, "Master, I'm going to school now, please do as you please."
Kong Xuan: “OK.”
Tan Xiao was very happy in his heart. He wondered where the Peacock God had learned some English. He must have peeked at my English book.
…
At noon that day, all the students in Class 2 (3) of Senior High School gathered together and boarded the bus and set off from the school .
Lin Yang patted Tan Xiao and whispered a few words to him. Tan Xiao sat next to Kong Xuan, and Lin Yang sat with Yu Zhenzhen.
Yu Zhenzhen held a camera in her hand, which she rented in the store. "My mom said that she would buy me a camera after I graduate. I plan to buy a second-hand one in this store when the time comes. They rent and sell."
“Then you have to choose carefully.”
"That's right," Yu Zhenzhen said. "When I went to pick them out, some of the autofocus cameras didn't work properly."
She secretly looked at Tan Xiao and Kong Xuan. As the saying goes, there are three elements in portrait photography: good-looking model, good-looking model, and good-looking model.
Yu Zhenzhen had a goal today, which was to take some photos of Kong Xuan and Tan Xiao after finishing her homework.
Kong Xuan discovered that Tan Xiao had deliberately changed seats to sit with him. He felt proud and raised his chin slightly. Just as he was about to say something, the car started and Kong Xuan was no longer proud. He felt strange... weird... dizzy.
Kong Xuan stroked his forehead and shook his head, trying to stay awake, but the dizziness followed him everywhere and even got worse. Who was casting a spell on him? It was really powerful!
Kong Xuanfeng's eyes flashed, and he was about to use a magic trick to cut off the man's head, but he could not notice who was playing tricks around him.
At this moment, a hand patted Kong Xuan on the shoulder, and Tan Xiao asked, "Are you carsick?"
Kong Xuan slowly turned his head and saw Tan Xiao's questioning face. He said expressionlessly: "No, how could I..."
He was born with the energy of the five elements, and within the five elements, nothing can stop him... ugh!
Kong Xuan felt a tightness in his chest, and he almost vomited his internal organs. Oh no, this substitute must not have been selected well enough, and he actually got carsick! This is really outrageous! If he had known earlier, he would have flown to Qiyunling, and would not have lost face like this.
Tan Xiao gradually sympathized with him. Kong Xuan was suffering from severe motion sickness. "Close your eyes quickly and try to fall asleep. You won't get motion sickness if you fall asleep."
Kong Xuan held onto the chair, his face pale as he said angrily, "I'm not carsick."
Look at this stubborn guy. Tan Xiao thought to himself, why do I feel that he is similar to the Peacock God? The Peacock God flies around, so at least he won't get carsick.
Kong Xuan leaned against the window, almost angry to death.
This disappointing substitute!
The geography teacher saw Kong Xuan like that and said, "Kong Xuan, why don't you see which classmate has oranges or ginger to relieve motion sickness?"
Kong Xuan: "I'm not carsick."
"Maybe he doesn't want to eat," Tan Xiao looked at Kong Xuan sympathetically, "Wouldn't it be more uncomfortable for you to lean against the window? It's shaking, why don't you lie on my lap, it will be better if your center of gravity is lower."
Kong Xuan looked at Tan Xiao, moved his lips twice, but said nothing. He held his forehead and moved closer to Tan Xiao.
The people in the back seat only saw Kong Xuan's tall body gradually leaning to the side and slowly disappearing from sight.
Kong Xuan squeezed himself into the gap beside him, just enough for him to lie sideways on the legs between Tan Xiao and the front seat. Unlike his usual arrogant and proud self, he now looked a little weak.
"Is this better?" Tan Xiao asked, hugging his arms. Kong Xuan looked really dizzy and uncomfortable, and he didn't even talk back.
"Not so dizzy anymore." Kong Xuan whispered. After lying down, the front seat, Tan Xiao's legs and his arms formed a closed space. In this space, his heartbeat seemed to be infinitely amplified, even louder than the sound of his voice.
…
After about an hour's drive, the bus arrived at the foot of Qiyunling, where there are towering ancient trees and bamboo forests. At the foot of the mountain, Han and Yao people live together, most of them have been assimilated into Han culture. There are many old-style houses, many of which have been converted into homestays. A big river flows down from the mountain, irrigating the people.
Because it is the dry season, the water flow is not as strong as when Lin Yang came here before. There are rafting activities here in the summer.
However, along the way, you can also see some fishing enthusiasts who drive to Qiyunling. This is also one of the characteristics of Qiyunling. In addition to rivers, there are various wild and self-stored ponds on the mountain that can be rented out for everyone to relax.
"Are there any students who have looked up information? Can you tell me about the history of Qiyunling?" the geography teacher asked with a smile.
Lin Yang immediately raised his hand. Not only did he look up information, he had also been here once. "The highest point of the Qiyunling Mountain Gate is two thousand meters, and it is tens of thousands of hectares wide, connecting to the surrounding counties and cities. In the past, people of various ethnic groups lived here together, but now the Yao and Han people are the main ethnic groups. Since ancient times, people have lived by the mountains and rivers.
"This river is called Nanxi River, and it flows all the way to Yunmeng Lake. In the past, the Nanchu people who lived here often cut down trees, loaded them with rafts, and floated them downstream to the Yunmeng Lake Basin for trading. This was called 'releasing rafts.'"
"Very well said." The geography teacher applauded, then looked at Tan Xiao, "Tan Xiao, since he mentioned rafting, would you like to tell us about the folk custom of rafting? You must know this, right?"
"Well, because the Chu area has a well-developed water system, there are people who make a living by rafting in many places. They live on rafts all year round and transport wood, and they often encounter dangers on the water. In order to seek good fortune and avoid harm, a relatively niche folk magic religion, Paijiao, was born." Tan Xiao understood, thought for a moment, and then told the story, "They formed their own system by learning from wizards of various ethnic groups and religions, including the masters of the Yao ethnic group here. The magicians of Paijiao are said to have mastered the magic that can suppress water monsters and drive corpses home."
"Corpse driving, is it the same as the corpse driving in Xiangxi?"
When it comes to mysterious culture, everyone is very interested.
"The corpse-driving of the Paijiao is similar to that of Xiangxi, except that the Paijiao live on the water, and they drive floating corpses in the water, making the bodies of people who died in foreign lands and sank to the bottom of the water float up by themselves and drive them back home."
"Wow, we haven't heard of that!"
——As the profession of rafting gradually disappeared , the rafting sect naturally declined, and now there are no successors. Most of the students in the class are locals, and they have never even heard of this organization.
In other words, Tan Xiao is a family spiritual master, so he has some understanding of the history of his peers.
"Yes, actually, it's because of the geography here. There are many reefs under the Nanxi River. What are the so-called spells of the mages? It's a way to grasp and resolve the underwater situation." The teacher took the opportunity to lead the topic to the geography of the place. With this introduction, everyone really listened with gusto. It was both educational and entertaining. The teacher kept talking until the bus stopped at the village parking lot.
"Okay, then let's get off the car and observe on the spot."
A carload of people filed down and could start activities under the guidance of the teacher.
Kong Xuan gradually sat up from his prone position. He saw that Tan Xiao didn't want to get up either and remained where he was. The two looked at each other for a few seconds. Kong Xuan wanted to look away, but Tan Xiao didn't look away either, so he didn't move away either...
Tan Xiao stared at Kong Xuan and said slowly: "My legs are numb, you are so heavy."
Kong Xuan: “…”
"Hey, Brother Xiao, you haven't come down yet?" Lin Yang was in the same group with Tan Xiao and Kong Xuan. After he went down, he found that they hadn't come yet, so he went back up to look for them and helped Tan Xiao, whose legs were numb, to stand up. Sigh, Brother Xiao was really good to his younger brother, "I should lean on your shoulders on the way back, hehehe."
Kong Xuan: “……!”
"Why don't you sit for a while? We'll get you some warm water." Tan Xiao said to Kong Xuan. Most students in their class brought drinks, but Tan Xiao brought water, but it was not hot water.
"...Okay." Kong Xuan was unusually honest.
Tan Xiao and Lin Yang walked towards the residential area. Yu Zhenzhen and the girls in her group went the same way because they were observing the residential areas.
The first house at the entrance of the village is an old-style house in the Southern Chu style, with some farm tools placed at the door. The door is open, the sun shines in, and you can see a shrine in the lobby, which is also the custom of many families in the rural areas of Southern Chu.
Below the shrine was a bamboo rocking chair, on which sat a white-haired old lady in gray-green cloth, holding a cat in her arms, looking very relaxed.
The casual atmosphere is instantly full.
"Grandma?" Lin Yang originally wanted to ask for water here, but the old lady's hearing didn't seem to be very good.
Yu Zhenzhen pointed across the street and said, "Hey, that's a B&B. We should go to the B&B."
That was true, and the group walked over there. Yu Zhenzhen discussed it with her sisters, and they also went over to ask the boss which house in the village was the most representative.
The boss behind the counter heard the noise and looked up. He saw a handsome young man with Yu Zhenzhen holding a camera next to him. He immediately asked, "Are you internet celebrities? Are you here to shoot a video?"
Not to mention, Tan Xiao was actually a minor internet celebrity for a while before, but the Internet is so big and some time has passed, so of course no one would recognize him.
Lin Yang compared and laughed: "Have you seen internet celebrities like this? We are still wearing school uniforms."
The boss said very understandingly: "What's wrong with wearing school uniforms? There are people who come here to shoot videos wearing Hanfu."
"Hahaha, we just have a classmate who is carsick. Can we get some hot water?"
"No, I just think it looks familiar." The boss laughed twice and immediately said enthusiastically: "There's more in the pot. I'll pour it for you. Are you here to play? Do you want to stay overnight?"
"We are here to do extracurricular practical homework."
While the boss was getting hot water, Yu Zhenzhen walked around and asked, "Uncle, let me ask you, is this an old house that was renovated, or is it new?"
"My house is new, but the exterior is built according to the old houses in Nanchu, except that the lighting is enhanced. Look at my door, it's a little recessed, and there's a Taotie carved on the lintel. This is called the 'swallowing' style, which means eating ghosts." The boss was very knowledgeable about old customs. He himself was actually a Yunyao, but he was highly influenced by Chinese culture and had moved down the mountain to do business a long time ago.
Since Qiyuling is called "Qiyu", it also means high. There are villages from the bottom of the mountain to the middle of the mountain to the top of the mountain, but the degree of Chinese influence is higher the further down you live.
The boss poured each of them a cup of hot water and said, "Young people, don't just drink cold water."
Lin Yang walked around with the water in his hand and saw that the boss also had a shrine here, which he probably had in every household. The boss also had a rocking chair here. Lin Yang couldn't help but want to lie down and try it immediately.
As he was falling, someone grabbed his wrist.
The boss had stood in front of Lin Yang without knowing when. He was completely different from the warm and hospitable person just now. He said in a solemn tone: "Little classmate, you can't lie down here. The chair is placed here for ventilation. Only the dead can lie down in front of the shrine in our main hall."
