In Xiangyang Village, Huaiyang County, there is a farmer named Liu Dagen, who is over 30 years old and is famous for his kind heart.
He usually bypasses ants when he sees them, for fear of accidentally stepping on them.
Over the years, he released countless small animals, and although he was a kind man, he could not enjoy the joy of parenthood, and spent more than ten years with his wife without giving birth to any children.
His wife, Lin, tried various methods, including worshipping immortals and seeking Buddha, and seeking medical advice, but her stomach never changed.
The Lin family washed his face with tears all day long, and always felt sorry for the Liu family, but the poor couple could neither take a concubine nor divorce his wife.
Lin thought about it for a long time and came to the conclusion that only by his death could Liu Dagen be freed from the shackles, find a new partner and form a family, and have the next generation.
When she jumped into the river alone, she felt an invisible force that pushed her back to the shore.
Lin looked around and saw that the water was calm and there was no one else.
Feeling strange, she threw herself into the water again, determined to die, only to be pulled back by an invisible force.
Lin Shi felt very depressed, sat on the shore and shouted loudly, while complaining faintly: "God, I just want to make way for my husband, why don't you even let me die." ”
Because you are all good people. ”
An old voice came from behind her.
Lin Shi was startled, hurriedly stopped crying, and turned to look behind.
A kind-faced old woman looked at her with a smile, and when she saw that her mood had stabilized, she said, "I have a way to get you pregnant." ”
When Lin heard this, he was overjoyed and asked in disbelief, "Really?"Whatever it is, I'm willing to try. ”
Loaches lay more eggs, and winter is the time when they lay eggs.
There is a big loach under this pond, let your husband catch it out, go back and stew it with the loach, and you will be guaranteed to get pregnant next spring. ”
The old woman said.
It's only that simple?"Lin had heard of this method before, and although he had tried some small ones, it didn't work.
Seeing that she was suspicious, the old woman smiled and said, "This pond is not deep, you can drain the water and dig and try to find out." ”
Lin thought about it and felt that there was some truth in this statement.
Over the years, she's endured all kinds of pain, and it doesn't hurt to try again.
So, she thanked the old woman and went home to tell Liu Dagen about this experience.
Liu Dagen looked at Lin and said distressedly: "Lady, it's not just your business that you can't have children, I also bear a lot of pressure." ”
Although Lin was in a very good mood now and didn't want to die, she directly pulled Liu Dagen towards the pond.
This pond is of a good size, the water is not too deep, and it is usually used for irrigation in the village.
Since it was winter, the water was much shallower than usual.
Liu Dagen opened the overflow of the pond with the idea of believing it or not, wanting to clean up the silt at the bottom of the pond by the way and prepare for next year's water storage.
After a whole day of drainage, the pond was clean, and the bottom had not been cleaned for many years, accumulating a lot of black silt, so Liu Dagen carried the silt one by one to the nearby ground.
These silts are good fertilizers, and there will definitely be a good harvest next year.
Thinking of these, Liu Dagen had a little more energy when he worked.
As a farmer, he doesn't have big ideals, he just hopes to have a good harvest every year, a secure life, and a good life.
On the first day, Liu Dagen harvested a large pot of small fish, small shrimp, and a few small loaches, but he did not find the big loach.
Lin made these small fish and shrimp into a delicious pot of soup, and the two of them feasted on it.
The situation was the same on the second and third days, and Lin Shi was a little impatient and complained, "Who the hell is that old woman?".Is she teasing me?Liu Dagen comforted her and said: "Winter is a leisure time after busy farming, so it should be to store fertilizer for the family, clean the bottom of the pond, and it will be convenient to plant vegetables next spring." ”
When Lin heard him say this, he couldn't object anymore, so he had to help Liu Dagen work together, and the two were busy in the pond for half a month.
On this day, the silt in the pond was almost cleaned up, and Liu Dagen's shovel touched something hard and felt a little strange, and he used all his strength to pull that thing out of the silt.
When they looked closely, they trembled with fright, and it turned out to be a human skeleton.
Liu Dagen trembled and said: "Hurry up and find the lieutenant, this is related to human life, and we can't deal with it without permission." ”
Lin's face turned pale and he stumbled towards the village.
Soon, the chief arrived with a group of villagers, and the village doctor looked at the human skeleton, shook his head, and said, "This person should have drowned, and it has been a long time, and it is estimated that he can't find any relevant information." ”
Hearing the words of the village doctor, the chief decided that since it was impossible to trace the root cause, and there was no one in the village who reported the loss in a short time, he instructed Liu Dagen: "You can find a place to bury him." ”
Liu Dagen went to his house to get a straw mat, wrapped the bones, and then carried it to the back of the mountain to find a place to bury it.
When he returned to the mud pond, he easily dug out a round loach about a foot long.
Liu Dagen was very excited and went home directly with the loach.
When Lin saw the loaches, he also forgot about his previous unhappiness and happily went to clean and cook.
Lin ate three meals before he finished eating the loach, and then waited for the old woman's words to come true.
That night, as soon as Liu Dagen fell asleep, he dreamed that an old woman said to him: "Child, thank you very much for burying my bones and giving me the opportunity to reincarnate, and your kindness will be repaid." ”
After the old woman finished speaking, she left, and Liu Dagen suddenly woke up, reminiscing about the scene in the dream and relating it to what had happened recently.
He shook Lin awake and asked, "You saw a kind old woman by the pond yesterday, right?"Lin didn't know what was going on, nodded and said, "Yes!."Did you find anything out of it?Liu Dagen carefully told the Lin family about the appearance of the old woman in the dream.
Lin nodded in surprise: "You haven't seen her yet, how do you know so detailed?"Liu Dagen told Lin everything that happened in the dream, and then said: "It seems that this is the will of heaven, you go to the pond, the old woman saved you, and then guide me to find her bones, and then give her a burial." ”
She can be reincarnated, and we can have a child as we wish, is that right?Lin asked.
Liu Dagen couldn't explain this kind of metaphysical thing, so he had to pat Lin's back comfortingly and said, "Sleep!."It's all about fate. ”
The days passed quickly, and in the spring, Lin felt that his body had changed.
She didn't dare to tell Liu Dagen, and quietly went to the doctor.
After checking his pulse, the doctor smiled happily and said, "You've finally gotten through the tough time, you're pregnant." ”
Lin covered her mouth and silently shed tears, at this moment, she felt joy and sadness.
She said goodbye to the doctor and hurried home to tell Liu Dagen the news.
Liu Dagen linked these strange things together, touched Lin's unbulging belly, and felt a faint uneasiness in his heart.
The problem that could not be solved for more than ten years was solved by a loach, and the mysterious old woman, who did not know whether the child in his belly was a human or a monster.
Liu Dagen has always felt uneasy, and after a few months, he finally waited for the day when Lin gave birth.
Lin's belly is much larger than that of ordinary pregnant women, and she looks very hard, so Liu Dagen asked two pregnant women in the village to help.
Lin's wailing was heard in the house, and Liu Dagen paced back and forth in the courtyard to relieve his anxiety.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew, and Liu Dagen shivered involuntarily.
He looked up at the cloudy sky and silently prayed that his wife would have a child safely.
Suddenly thunder sounded and the rain began to pour down.
It rained all day and all night, and Lin's pain lasted all day and all night, no matter how hard she tried, the child just refused to give birth.
Liu Dagen felt helpless, and at this time, a villager ran over and said, "Dagen, go and see, there are a lot of loaches wriggling in the pond." ”
Liu Dagen's heart sank, and he hurriedly ran to the pond embankment to see that his wife had never given birth to children, which seemed to be related to these loaches.
He saw that the water level of the pond was much higher than usual, and there were countless loaches squeezing and rolling on it, and their white bellies made him feel dizzy.
He saw a beautiful woman approaching him, smiling and calling, "Husband!."Liu Dagen was so frightened that he retreated again and again, "Who are you?"Why do you call me husband?The woman smiled even more and said, "You are my husband, but I can only bring you two children so that they can accompany you for the rest of your life." ”
Liu Dagen was at a loss when he heard this, and was about to ask something.
He saw the woman and said with a sad face: "I'm leaving, I want to tell you a word before leaving: when I grow up, the two daughters must marry the same person, so that the Liu family can be rich and safe." ”
Liu Dagen still wanted to ask for the details of the matter, but he saw that the woman didn't look back at all, and walked straight towards the pond.
Liu Dagen hurriedly reached out to pull her, but held a pair of hands tightly.
Big root, big root, why are you asleep here?Wake up, your mother has given birth, two daughters. ”
The man said excitedly.
Liu Dagen struggled to open his eyes, but the villagers in front of him confused him.
The villagers pushed him hard and shouted, "Are you crazy?".Liu Dagen looked at the calm pond, and there were no women around.
That's when he woke up from his dream.
What did you just say?He asked the villagers.
The villager repeated: "Your lady has given birth, two daughters!".Liu Dagen hurriedly ran home, sure enough, they were two daughters, what does the "two daughters marrying a husband" in that dream mean?However, he didn't have time to think about it now, it was too early to marry a daughter, and he had to go see his wife and children first.
Pushing open the door, a smell of blood came to his nose, and Lin was lying on the bed, next to the two babies wrapped in small quilts.
The two midwives are still cleaning up.
Liu Dagen only had time to glance at the child, and heard the midwife scream: "Oh no, Mrs. has a blood collapse, hurry up and ask for a doctor." ”
Liu Dagen looked at the blood on the bed, thinking of the woman who failed to catch it, and the premonition in his heart was even worse.
He knelt down and grabbed his wife's hand tightly, and said loudly: "Lady, we have children, we have two daughters, you must persevere." ”
Lin moved his hand slightly, his face was as pale as white paper, and his lips moved a few times, but he didn't have the ability to spit out any words.
What are you procrastinating, go and ask for a doctor!The midwife next to her urged anxiously.
Liu Dagen had no choice but to let go of his wife's hand and hurriedly ran to the village.
By the time he found the doctor, Lin had already taken his last breath, leaving him and his two children behind.
Liu Dagen hugged her body and cried to death, things were developing so fast that he didn't have time to think about why this was happening.
But people can't be resurrected after death, so he had to ask the people in the village to help and bury Lin.
So, he became both a father and a mother, raising two daughters to grow up.
Strangely, the two daughters have shown extraordinary talent since they were young, and all aspects of their skills have been mastered naturally.
The eldest daughter, Qiuyang, cooks and cleans the house at the age of six, and she makes a particularly good wonton, which is not only fragrant, but also mouth-watering.
The youngest daughter, Qiuyue, is the opposite of her sister, she never goes into the kitchen, and paints flowers, trees, birds, and so on in the yard every day.
People who have seen her paintings marvel at her and praise her for bringing those things to life.
As she grew older, she began to embroider them on cloth and sell them at the market.
Many wealthy families have never seen such a skilled embroidery technique, and Akizuki's works can be sold at a good price as soon as they are released, and they sell very well.
After she saved up some money, she moved to Huaiyang City with her father and sister.
Qiuyang opened a snack bar on the busiest street in the city, pondering various ingredients every day, and achieved a fragrance for ten miles.
The snack bar attracted many customers who smelled the fragrance, and the business was very hot, and she earned enough silver taels to support her family.
She bought a mansion and hired servants to serve Liu Dagen.
An embroidery building was also built for her to paint and embroider.
The sisters' reputation in Huaiyang City is growing, and some noblewomen even pay a lot of money for an embroidery of the autumn moon, but also have to book it for several months.
The fame came out, people came to the door to ask for marriage, and the threshold of the Liu family was broken.
Liu Dagen recalled a dream in a small pond many years ago, and after so many years, he couldn't figure out whether it was a dream or a miracle.
Now that his two daughters have grown up, he began to think about whether the phrase "two daughters marry one husband" should be observed.
After all, both daughters are excellent, is it too wronged to marry them to the same man?After rejecting several matchmakers, Liu Dagen became more and more hesitant and decided to ask his daughters for their opinions.
One day, after Qiuyang came back, Liu Dagen asked Qiuyue to come over.
He asked very directly: "According to the ancient tradition, a woman's marriage contract is the order of her parents and the words of the matchmaker.
However, I'd like to hear from both of you. ”
Qiu Yue calmly replied: "My sister and I are twin sisters, I will marry whoever she wants to marry, we are not separated." ”
Liu Dagen was stunned for a moment, and then remembered the words of the woman in his dream.
But he still said: "You are all independent individuals, you have the right to pursue your own happiness, why can't you be separated?"Qiu Yue blinked her eyes wide, and said coquettishly: "As long as I have my father and sister in my life!."Liu Dagen then looked at Qiuyang, as if asking for her opinion.
Qiuyang is not very interested in marriage, only food, so she said to Liu Dagen: "Dad, I don't want to be separated from you either, just help us find a good husband." ”
The two sisters said so, and Liu Dagen no longer insisted, he believed that fate had its own arrangements, and was ready to help them find a satisfactory husband.
When Qiuyang heard this suggestion, he immediately became interested and asked, "What are you going to do?"Qiu Yue explained: "Some time ago, I went to the temple to offer incense, and on the way I met a nun, and she knew that I liked painting, so she gave me a painting and told me that there was a secret in the painting.
As long as I can understand it, I can get married. ”
Qiu Yang asked in surprise: "Then if I can never come to my senses, won't I never be able to get married?"Qiu Yue replied, "I've been enlightening for a while, but I haven't understood it yet.
Since my father said that he was going to find us a marriage partner, I thought that whoever could see the secret in the painting, we would marry whomever we could.
What do you think of this idea?Qiu Yue took out a painting from her arms and handed it to Qiu Yang.
Qiu Yang unfolded the scroll, put it on the table, and slowly admired it with Liu Dagen.
The painting shows a field of blue water, and two mermaid girls are enjoying the scenery from a distance, looking like mermaids.
Liu Dagen thought of Lin's pregnancy after eating loaches, and couldn't help but start to get nervous.
He asked, "Did the nun say anything else?"Qiu Yue replied: "She said that as long as she doesn't destroy the painting, she will find a way to turn the fishtail into ** legs." ”
Qiu Yang was very surprised when he heard this, and felt that the nun must be playing tricks on Qiu Yue.
Qiu Yue didn't think so, and from the perspective of painting, this is definitely a masterpiece.
Although she met the nun in Pingshui, she had no motives and reasons to tease herself, and could only say that there must be a relationship between them.
So she comforted Qiuyang and said: "Since you want to get married, it doesn't hurt to hold a family meeting, if no one unlocks the secret in the painting, my sister can pick a wishful husband, as for me not to marry in this life, you and my father will not dislike me." ”
Qiuyang has always loved this sister, she has a quiet temperament, and she is not at ease if she marries someone else's family.
She had no choice but to say: "I prefer to study food to Ruyi Langjun, and I will leave the matter of finding Langjun to you." ”
Qiu Yue heard her sister say this, and knew that she was saying what she was talking about, but the two of them were related to the inheritance of the descendants of the Liu family, and it was necessary to get married.
It didn't take long for the door of Liu's house to set up a kissing ring, with the painting on the easel, and a half-covered green girl standing next to her, dressed in a red skirt that made her extremely beautiful.
The news that the sisters of the Liu family recruited relatives to choose a door-to-door husband has spread all over the streets and alleys, and two slim girls marrying a man is a beautiful thing for most sons.
As soon as the ring was set, the famous sons and brothers in the city wanted to show their skills and hug the beauty.
It's a pity that after countless people saw the painting, they couldn't meet Qiuyue's requirements, so they could only retreat to the stage**, who had such good luck, and picked two flowers at the same time.
But half a month has passed, and there is still no one to crack the secret in the painting, fewer and fewer people are in the ring, and more and more people are watching from the stage, even Qiu Yue is discouraged, and she is ready to withdraw from the ring after dark.
Just as Qiu Yue ordered the servants to remove their things, a voice sounded in the crowd: "Wait a minute, I know the secret in the painting." ”
The crowd looked at him, and saw a shabby-dressed scholar hurrying towards him.
This is a leper ** who wants to eat swan meat, and does not look in the mirror to come again. ”
It's a shame to dare to say that you know the secret before you see the painting. ”
There was a lot of talk in the crowd, full of contempt and sarcasm for this belated man.
The person who came completely ignored everyone's eyes, went straight to the ring, looked at the autumn moon on the stage, and said breathlessly: "The contemptible Cao Zhiyuan heard that the young lady set up a ring to recruit relatives, so he came to try it, I don't know if the young lady is willing to give me a chance." ”
Qiu Yue looked at the people in the audience, although their appearance was simple, but their eyebrows were clear, and their bodies were full of books, which was still very pleasing.
So she reached out and made a gesture of invitation, and stood herself to observe his every move.
Cao Zhiyuan rubbed this famous painting with his hand, let out a "tsk" admiration in his mouth, then took out a worn-out kettle from his bag, poured out a glass of water, and finally bit his finger and dripped a few drops of blood in the water.
Dipping a brush in blood water, carefully brushing the girl's fishtail, and after a while, the fishtail disappeared and turned into two slender long legs.
The girl in the painting becomes more vivid, as if swimming in the water.
Qiu Yue was stunned, she couldn't help but look at Cao Zhiyuan twice, why didn't she think of it?The fishtail uses a special pigment, as long as the right cleaning agent is used, the pigment can be removed, so that the original painting can be revealed, wonderful!It's amazing!At this time, the people in the crowd were also boiling, and those sons who had been defeated were sour and astringent in their hearts, and some people began to sarcastically: "Poor scholars are not shallow!."”
Cao Zhiyuan immediately replied: "I do have some blessings. ”
The audience was not interested, so they had to leave.
So Cao Zhiyuan became the son-in-law of the Liu family, and Liu Dagen held a grand wedding for him and his two daughters.
On the wedding night, Qiu Yue asked curiously, "What kind of water do you put in the kettle?"How did you know the secret of the fishtail?Cao Zhiyuan replied with a little shame: "Lady, I have to tell the truth, in fact, I was originally going to go to the capital for the exam, but I was hungry and fainted on the way, and I was rescued by a nun, she told me that the Liu family was choosing a son-in-law, and told me the secret of the fishtail." ”
Qiu Yue felt a little ashamed.
She realized that the nun was a thoughtful person, and she just wanted to find a good marriage for her.
Cao Zhiyuan saw that Qiuyue was silent, thinking that she was angry, and said a little sadly: "I know that I am not worthy of being with you two sisters, if the lady is not satisfied, I can regret it now." ”
However, Qiu Yue sneered, pushed him into Qiu Yang's room and said, "It's too late to regret it now, my sister can't wait." ”
In half a year after marriage, Cao Zhiyuan rushed to the capital to take the exam, and successfully passed the Jinshi examination, and then returned to the subordinate county of Huaiyang County to serve as the county magistrate.
The life of the Liu family is more prosperous than before, Qiuyang is in charge of foreign affairs, Qiuyue is in charge of housework, and the family lives together in harmony.
Unconsciously, decades have passed, Liu Dagen is critically ill, and his five grandchildren, three granddaughters, two daughters, and one son-in-law are all kneeling in front of his bed.
When Liu Dagen was about to die, he saw the woman in the dream.
She smiled, took Liu Dagen's hand and said, "Husband, I finally waited for you." ”
Liu Dagen looked at her suspiciously and asked, "Who are you?"My wife is Lin. ”
She replied seriously: "No, no, the Lin family is only the one who will accompany you for a short time in your lifetime, and I am your wife for the rest of your life." ”
The woman flew to a wide pond with Liu Dagen and began to tell the story of the two of them.
It turned out that the woman's name was Qingyue, and Liu Dagen's name was Chilong, and both of them were loach spirits, living a free and enviable life as an immortal.
However, there are also wicked people in the demon world, and a carp spirit has taken a fancy to Qingyue and pursued her diligently in every way, but Qingyue has never been moved.
The carp spirit launched one provocation after another against the red dragon, hoping to provoke him and achieve the goal of making Aozuki rely on himself.
However, the red dragon is determined and does not care about the villain at all.
The carp spirit understands very well, so it has to resort to stealthy means.
One year there was a drought in the world, and the water in the pond dried up.
The carp spirit found the red dragon and said, "The water in the pond has dried up, and the silt will soon dry up, and you and Aozuki will not be able to survive by then."
I've found a place with water, so come with me. ”
The loaches could have survived in the silt, but the red dragon was worried that the continuous drought would cause the silt to dry up completely, and that Aozuki's delicate body would not be able to stand it.
So, he agreed to the carp spirit and followed him to another place to find water.
Along the way, the red dragon gave Qingyue a small amount of water, while he endured thirst.
Eventually, the carp spirit led them to a shoal, where the stones were all burned, and the red dragon's body was burned.
Qingyue looked at the dying red dragon, and her heart was full of desire to save him.
However, there was no water source for hundreds of miles around, and she could only watch the red dragon die.
At this moment, the carp spirit did not let him go, and attracted the villagers to eat the red dragon, so he took Qingyue to find the water source.
Qingyue survived, but Chilong had passed away, and the pain in her heart was indescribable.
No matter how much the carp spirit forced her, she would rather choose death than give in.
In a fit of rage, the carp spirit trapped her at the bottom of a pond with a magic circle, and for hundreds of years, Qingyue has not been able to be free.
It wasn't until one day, when the circle was smashed by an old woman who had fallen into the water, that Qingyue regained her freedom.
She said: "I came after you according to the breath you left, it turns out that you have been reincarnated many times, and in this life your name is Liu Dagen." ”
Liu Dagen asked, "Did you save Lin's diving?"Qingyue replied: "The Lin family was destined to drown, but I feel sorry for you that you have no children and will be lonely for life, so I changed her fate privately, and let the old woman's soul guide her to find a way to get pregnant." ”
Liu Dagen asked: "Did you change her fate without being punished?"Qingyue replied, "The old woman has been adrift for many years, until you dug her up and buried her, and she is grateful to you and gives me this merit."
I was only tortured by boiling water, and after being eaten by the Lin family, I brought you two daughters.
On the occasion of success, I will take the Lin family with me. ”
Liu Dagen suddenly realized that he was more grateful to Qingyue.
He asked, "Then that painting of the autumn moon is also your idea?".Qingyue understood what had happened and replied, "Yes, both of them are my children.
Over the years, I have been by your side, and I dare not hand them over to anyone else, because I can't rest assured.
Now, your life is coming to an end, the Liu family has also been glorious, you will no longer be human in the next life, and we will finally be able to be together. ”
After Qingyue finished speaking, in the fog of tears, hundreds of years of waiting finally reunited her with her former lover.
With the destruction of Liu Dagen's body, he gradually recalled the memories of the red dragon.
Qingyue, his lover for the rest of his life.
Since then, it has been common to see a pair of large loaches swimming in the water, but no one has ever dared to offend them, because unusual creatures become immortals.