1 Chapter 1: My Aunt’s Nine-Year Prophecy

Chinese Taoist culture has many thousands years of history, where there are many talented people. In the long river of years, how much of the track either annihilated in the historical dust or the folk land, despite the past glory of Taoism, it now becomes cultural attractions for tourist.

There is such a Taoist priest. His life can be described as legendary, twist and more is helpless. He saved a lot of people's lives, including mine and my little aunt's. Many people in their hometown enquired Taoist life.

Narrates the last Taoist priest: the life of Wenbin Zha, by a small story, leads to a person.

Zha is a rare surname, as recorded by 'the Book of Family Names': Zha is one of the Chinese names which ranks the 397th among them.

In Hongcun, a village in the mountainous area of western Zhejiang Province, there is a family named Xu. The man is a carpenter who does excellent carpentry, and he is known as Luban Xu. His ancestors often made a living by making coffins for other families. Naturally, he also inherited the family business. Although he had a good trade, since he was in the business of the dead, there weren't many women who want to build a relationship with him. After several twists and turns, with the help of the matchmaker finally, he married a woman in a neighbouring village. Contraception was less developed in those days. They gave birth to three daughters and two sons in ten years. As family members increase, the daily cost also increases, after discussion they decided to go for ovary ligation.

Luban Xu is my grandpa

Ten years later, the grandmother gets pregnant again unexpectedly, and grandpa doesn't know whether to be happy or sad. Has done ovarian ligation, do not understand why can still be pregnant. The belly got more significant day by day, and ten months later, the baby was born. Grandpa did not expect that he can get another daughter when he was already 40 years old. He named the youngest daughter Xiaoxiu, which is my little aunt in 1977.

My grandfather was pleased to have another daughter at this age. He held a big banquet for his one-month-old daughter, and all his neighbours in the village came to celebrate. In the context of celebration, a Taoist priest in ragged Taoist costume and a bag made of cloth was passing by in front of the Xu family. A meddler stopped the Taoist priest and asked the Taoist priest to look the fate of the one-month-old girl. The Taoist priest agreed. He took a look at the baby in the bassinet and figured it with his fingers, but he was startled. He called Luban Xu into the bedroom and said in a low voice, "Master, it's a happy thing that you have a daughter, but I have a word don't know whether it should be told to you or not."

Although Grandpa was a carpenter, he was a reasonable person. He said with a smile, "Taoist, just say whatever you want, no matter what you say is good or not, you will be invited to drink the wine when the banquet starts."

The Taoist priest glanced at Luban Xu and said, "although your little girl is beautiful, I am afraid it is easy to die prematurely in the future."

Grandfather got angry; he just got a daughter, do not know where the Taoist priest is here to say such silly and unlucky words. He went up and pushed the Taoist priest said: "how impolite are you Taoist? How can you talk in such a disorderly manner?

The Taoist priest has initially been dressed in rags. With such a push by Luban Xu, he tore his clothes, and a copper pimple fell out and rolled to the ground.

Grandma was Disturbed by the noise, then came here have a look, where a monk dressed in rags was arguing with Grandpa. Grandma went up to separate them. From my mother' word that my grandmother was a polite hostess, firstly she scolded the rudeness of Luban Xu, then expressed the apology and took out a needle and thread sewed up the clothes, also invited the monk for dinner. During the dinner, the Taoist Priest drank more and more and began to boast that he was the leader of Maoshan, the Taoist magic is powerful. But everyone else thought he was bragging.

I don't know if the Taoist priest was drunk when other people asked about the future fate of the baby again, he even said again: "the little girl will not live long in the future. There will be disasters in the future." When others heard it, they said how you could, a Taoist, to talk like crazy. In particular, grandfather suppressed anger suddenly rose, running into the kitchen and took out an axe and was about to chop. Fortunately, he was stopped by the crowd and swore at the Taoist priest loudly.

Grandma heard every word very clearly; she also felt a little unhappy. She called to the Taoist priest: "where are you from? I'm kind to treat you for delicious food, but you curse my daughter! Get out of here!"

Strangely enough, the Taoist priest was not angry when he was insulted like this. He touched his chest, looked at the sky, and looked at the crowd and said, "Master, don't be angry. I'm telling you the truth. Your daughter may not live after nine years old. If you have difficulties, you can come to Wulipu in Anxian County to find me." With that, he saluted the crowd, turned his head and left. He was only left with the group and Grandfather family to look at each other and angry. Although others advised my grandfather not to take it seriously, however, it left a shadow in my grandmother's heart which was a little superstitious.

Nine years later, my little aunt is healthy, smart and very beautiful, especially a pair of big eyes full of spirit, which is very pleasing to adults. Slowly, the grandmother's family has gradually forgotten what the Taoist said nine years ago.

There are many places in rural areas where the dead elderly need funeral services, and the whole village has to go to help. We also have to drink together. There must be a dish for every family, which is white tofu.

In the summer of 1986, the day when I was born, an older man died in Hongcun. In that time of material shortage, when there was a funeral, which meant that they could eat more delicious food. My grandfather and grandmother took little aunt to eat white tofu.

During the meal, my little aunt also ate a lot of delicious food. At the end of the banquet, my grandparents and my little aunt went home together, which was two kilometres away, and there were many stars in the sky. There was a reservoir on the way home, which was about 300 meters long. I often went swimming when I was a child, and my grandmother caught me and beat me every time without telling me the reason.

There were no families live in that section of the road, and two kilometres distance takes only about 10 minutes. Moreover, they usually take this route home. The moon was very bright that night, and the path was so bright that it didn't need a flashlight at all.

In the countryside in summer, fireflies always attract children. My little aunt was chasing the firefly in front of her, laughing at the same time. The bug flashed forward, and the child ran behind. The grandpa and grandma behind were not far away, smiling and looking at the child.

My grandfather smoked a pipe and said to my grandmother, "who told my daughter is not easy to raise, since birth, she did not even get a minor illness, I think that Taoist priest is a Charlatan. "

Grandma told my little aunt to run slowly, and after a while, they got home together.

Little aunt used to sleep with grandma and Grandpa when she was little. When she grew up, she was arranged to sleep with her third sister. Grandpa has four daughters and two sons. First aunt, first uncle and my mother have already married, left with a little aunt, third aunt and little uncle at home.

Before going to bed, the little aunt told the third aunt that she ate a lot of good food when she attended the banquet today, which made the third aunt envy. The third aunt washed her feet and carried her to bed. Accompanied by the third aunt, she soon fell asleep, until a cry after 12:00 in the evening pierced the stillness of the night sky.