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210 Soul Lamp

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    I had nothing to say along the way, and when I was almost at the door of my house, I ran into a lot of acquaintances from the neighbors.  They all greeted me.  It's just that I keep the old man's words in mind and never speak.

    "So-and-so (my nickname), are you ignoring us because you can't talk when delivering meals?"

    I didn't argue with each other, and I was still walking towards home dragging the mourning stick.

    Seeing that I didn't speak, the owner of the small shop continued, "Actually, the only time you can't speak is when you're delivering it. There's no such restriction when you're back."

    I looked up, but in the end I didn't speak because I wasn't sure if what she said was true after all.

    Seeing my puzzled expression, she knew that I had been shaken, but since I remained silent, she had no choice but to smile bitterly and leave.

    When I got home, I followed the old man¡¯s instructions and put the basket, bowls and chopsticks, and mourning sticks under the ice coffin, and then asked, ¡°Brother, when the food is being delivered, on the way back, can I speak?¡±  Talked?"

    "That's right, the word 'send' is the key to delivering food. You can't speak during the 'send'. When you come back, it's no longer called 'send', so it doesn't matter."

    After listening to the old man's explanation, I felt a little embarrassed.  After all, opening a small shop didn't fool me, but I didn't pay attention to them at the time, which was considered a serious faux pas.

    After I said "oh", the old man then reminded me: "You have to remember, from now on, every time you go to deliver food, whether it is in the morning or at noon, the delivery must be the first bowl out of the pot."

    Although the old man said it very solemnly, I didn't take it too seriously, but responded in a coping manner.  Then, I got busy, because there will be more people coming to pay homage today.

    I ate breakfast as fast as I could, and then stuck to my post.  Someone is coming, I have to salute, and at the same time I have to remind my father (burning paper).  If no one comes for a while, then I have to order yellow paper regularly.  Of course, I have to carefully watch the kerosene lamp in front of the ice coffin.

    This kerosene lamp is said to be called a soul-inducing lamp.  Yinhun, as the name suggests, means to attract ghosts.  People who have just passed away have not yet adapted and are a little ignorant, so relatives need to light a lamp to illuminate their path.  It is said that if there is no light to guide, many people will lose their way and cannot find their way home.  At that time, it is bound to become a lonely ghost.  Of course, there are also some places where oil lamps are regarded as parasitic places for the ghosts of old people who have not gone to the underworld.  If the light goes out, the ghost will have nothing to hide and will be taken to the underworld in advance by ghost messengers.  Therefore, in some film and television dramas, there will be scenes of desperately protecting the lamp for the return of relatives.  Whether it is to lead the way or provide a parasitic place, anyway, in the old customs, the role of this kerosene lamp is extremely important.  Therefore, before the burial, the lamp must never be extinguished.

    The method of kerosene lamp is actually very simple. Fill a small bowl with kerosene, twist yarn into a wick, and light it with a match.  Thus, a temporary soul-inducing lamp was made.  If you want to guard the Soul Lamp and make it prosper forever, you must pay attention to two points.  The first is to keep an eye on the kerosene in the bowl.  If you see that there is not much kerosene, you must add it in time.  Otherwise, once the kerosene ran out, the lamp would go out after the wick burned out.  The second is to always pay attention to the wick.  When making kerosene lamps, people usually intentionally make the wick long.  Although there is kerosene, after a long time, under the burning of the flame, the wick at the top will gradually carbonize. If it is not dealt with in time, then no matter how much kerosene there is, the soul lamp will go out.  Therefore, once it is found that the wick at the top turns black and the flame of the kerosene lamp becomes smaller, the carbonized part of the top must be cut off, and the wick should be lifted up a little.  In this way, instead of extinguishing the kerosene lamp, it will become brighter.

    Now, because of the development of the times, people's ideas are gradually being updated.  People here are no longer limited to traditional kerosene lamps.  It is believed that modern electric lights are brighter than kerosene lamps, and of course have a better eliciting effect than kerosene lamps.  It is precisely because most people have accepted this concept that people's night vigils now become pure entertainment, such as playing mahjong.  What's more, the number of night watchmen will be regarded as an important criterion to measure the popularity of a family.  Therefore, many families, when their relatives pass away, will try their best to attract a group of relatives and friends to come to watch the night for the sake of fame.  The vigil here is nothing more than all night entertainment.

    In fact, people's vigil in the past was not as easy as it is now.  People in the past kept watch at night, so they had to shoulder the responsibilities that night watchmen should have.  In addition to burning paper money from time to time, it is also necessary toAlways watch over the kerosene lamp and never let it go out.  Therefore, in the past, the night watch was definitely a heavy responsibility.

    I carried out all the sacrificial activities under the guidance of an old man in his eighties.  So, for the most part, my family stuck with tradition.  Not only did I get a kerosene lamp, but I also took care of it with all my heart and never let it go out according to the old man's instructions.

    If I were someone else, I would never believe in the vain theory of "leading the soul".  However, the one lying there was his father.  For my father, I would rather give up atheism and accept the concept of ghosts and gods.  It was precisely because I hoped that my father could go to another world at that time, so I forced myself to believe in the function of the soul lamp.  I don't want my father to be a ghost.  I would rather believe that my father's soul has been attracted by the soul lamp.  Looking at the constantly beating flame of the Soul Lamp, I seem to have felt my father's heavy breathing; every beat of the Soul Lamp flame is like the blinking eyes of my father who is staring at me

    In fact, even if I didn't believe in the so-called "soul attraction" at that time, I would tend to accept kerosene lamps due to the subject matter.  After all, rural traditions are also an important part of Chinese culture.  I don't want these traditional customs to be washed away by modern impetuousness.  I hope that through my own efforts, some of the traditions that are on the verge of disappearing can be rescued to some extent.

    The lighting of kerosene lamps does not distinguish between day and night.  Even if it is as bright as day, the kerosene lamp as a soul-inducing kerosene lamp cannot be extinguished.  In fact, it is precisely because of the brightness that kerosene lamps are easier to extinguish during the day.  After all, in the dark night, the light of the kerosene lamp is still quite obvious. Whenever there is any slight change, the people standing by will be able to notice it immediately.  Of course, my father's soul-inducing lamp has never been extinguished during the day, because I must be by my side during the day.  (Remember the site URL: www.hlnovel.com
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