Extra Chapter·Essay·Not a Dream

The sky was gloomy, and fine rain like cow hair fell from the gray clouds.

I stood in the crowd, looking forward numbly.

In the square in the center of the village, the village chief was wearing a strange costume that I didn't know how to evaluate, dancing around the sacrifices, and chanting some spells that others couldn't understand at all.

Everyone was watching quietly like me. In the whole square, except for the village chief's weird chanting, there were only the desperate wails and curses of the sacrifices.

This is the seventh time I have participated in the village's annual longevity festival since I was sensible. From the initial ignorance, to the later shock, and then to the current numbness, it only took me three years.

I have long been accustomed to this somewhat strange custom in the village, because compared with the strange habits of those people in the village, the longevity festival is actually nothing.

This time I came to participate in the festival, it was just a routine.

After the village chief finished dancing and chanting, he pulled out the strange sword that was stuck on the wooden block and had five forks. As in previous years, he used the strange sword to stab each of the five sacrifices, letting their blood stain different forks.

"Light the fire!!!"

The village held up the strange sword and shouted in a long voice.

The villagers around finally got excited, and everyone's face showed excitement. In order not to appear special, I also pretended to cheer.

Several villagers stepped forward and pushed the five sacrifices into the big pit that was already full of firewood, and then threw torches into the pit. Those firewoods were soaked in tung oil, not to mention this drizzle, even in heavy rain, they could burn.

In the sky-high flames, the villagers around cheered enthusiastically, and of course I did the same.

After shouting for a while, I felt a little uncomfortable in my throat, so I quietly retreated to the back and opened my mouth without making a sound.

Until the flames in the pit went out, everyone's cheers gradually faded away, and it returned to the quiet appearance at the beginning, but many of them no longer had numb expressions, but showed expectations.

I know what they are looking forward to, but in all these years, I haven't seen anyone gain immortality through this ceremony, so I can't understand why they are still looking forward to it.

But... it doesn't matter.

I followed the villagers to line up in front of the pit. At the front of the line was the village chief's family. Each of them took a handful of ashes from the pit and then stuffed them into their mouths impatiently.

Following closely were the "parents" and "children" of the sacrifices, and then other villagers.

I stood at the end of the line woodenly, moving forward a little bit as the line shortened.

This place is called Changsheng Village. I heard from the old people in the village that it should have been called Shangjia Village, because everyone in the village had the surname Shang. I don't know when most people in the village began to pursue immortality, so it was renamed Changsheng Village.

I don't know when this strange festival was passed down today. Anyway, I heard from my "father" that it existed when he was old enough to understand. I don't know any earlier than that, and I have no interest in knowing.

Some of the sacrifices for the longevity festival are travelers who strayed into the village, and some villagers kidnapped unlucky people from outside, but more often, they are people from our own village.

Whenever there are not enough sacrifices, the village chief will solicit sacrifices in the village, and then select suitable sacrifices from the registered sacrifices. Occasionally, if there are still not enough, he will randomly select from the villagers.

However, such situations are rare. I have only encountered it once in the past seven years. Most of the time, there will be villagers who take the initiative to hand over their "relatives", because in this way, they can follow the village chief's family and eat the longevity ash first...

Just like those people just now.

In addition to the longevity festival, there is another custom in the village that I think is strange, that is, every time a new child is born, he will be sent to a special nursery in the village, and then that villager can take a baby of similar age from the nursery five days later.

So everyone in the village actually didn't know who their biological parents were, but no one had ever questioned this question...

No, some people did question it, but they had already become sacrifices, and after being burned to ashes, they were eaten by me and other villagers.

Finally it was my turn. Because of the rain, the ashes in the pit had all formed into balls, randomly sticking to this big pit that had existed for an unknown period of time. I could even see the fingerprints left by countless villagers on the pit wall.

I came to the pit and immediately pretended to be excited, then lay down, grabbed a handful of ashes from the pit with my hands, stuffed them into my mouth, and swallowed them with some difficulty.

Then, I got up, and without patting the dirt on my clothes, I walked home with a happy look.

It was not until I left the square in the center of the village and could no longer see other people around that I regained my expressionless appearance and slowed down my pace to walk towards home.

Although I didn't like that home very much, at least I could eat and wear warm clothes there, so even if I had to suffer often, I had to obey "father's" orders and go home on time every day.

Before sunset, I returned home. "Father" and "mother" who had finished eating ashes and returned home a long time ago looked at me, didn't say anything, but continued to fiddle with their herbs.

I glanced at the medicine they were processing, and my face changed slightly. If I guessed correctly, I would be "cooked" again tonight. I was a little puzzled. This medicinal bath method has been going on for half a year. This is the first time that a prescription has been tried on me for so long...

Generally speaking, "parents" let me try medicine, never for more than a month, and after confirming the effect of the medicine, they will change to another one. Could it be that the effect of this medicinal bath is more special? Or have they not figured out the medicinal properties yet?

This is a bit rare. Although I don't like them, I have to admit that "father" and "mother" are indeed very good at medicine. The evidence is that they have tried medicine for more than ten years. I almost died several times, but I was still able to be rescued. In addition to being thin, I didn't even catch a cold.

Forget it... It doesn't matter if I try any medicine. At least this medicine can confirm that there is no life-threatening danger, and it's nothing to feel uncomfortable.

I was too lazy to think about the reason, and walked to the kitchen on my own.

Today's dinner was as rich as always. I picked up the bowl and chopsticks and ate heartily.

I didn’t eat so well before, but “father” probably worried that I was too weak and might die easily during drug testing, so he improved my food more than four months ago…

I just don’t know how long this kind of life can last, so I cherish it very much. Now the three meals a day are also the rare time when I can feel happy.

After dinner, I stood up, cleaned up the dishes on the table, put them in the wooden basin beside, and then took them to the yard to get some water to wash.

However, as soon as I walked out of the kitchen, I was stopped by “father”.

“You don’t have to wash it, come with me.”

I put down the wooden basin silently and followed him to a room next to it.

In the middle of the room, there was a huge wooden barrel, which was filled with about two-thirds of brown liquid. The unpleasant smell of medicine spread to every corner of the room with the rising heat.

“Go in.” My “father” said coldly and simply.

And I didn’t say much, just obediently took off my clothes and climbed into the wooden barrel as before.

The temperature of the medicine was very high. As soon as I entered the barrel, I immediately felt a burning sensation and my skin quickly turned red, but... I could still bear it, and... I had to bear it.

Moreover, this was not the first time I had taken this kind of medicine bath, and I had long been accustomed to it.

I endured the stinging of my skin and soaked my body in it without saying a word, leaving only my head exposed.

The "father" took two semicircular wooden boards and covered them on the wooden barrel. After the two wooden boards were combined, there was a circular hole in the middle so that I could put my head outside.

After doing all this, the "father" left the room, and I gradually lost consciousness under the fumigation of the hot air in the room.

I don't know how long it took, but I woke up in a daze.

As before, I was moved back to my bedroom, naked, and the quilt still had the stench of medicine.

I took the clothes thrown casually on the bedside and put them on, and then I walked out of the bedroom.

It was already dawn. I drank some water first, then went to the main gate and removed the chain wrapped around it.

The night in the village was very dangerous, because three years ago, there was a rumor that using human heart blood as medicine could prolong life. Then, several families were sneaked into in the middle of the night and their chests were opened. The murderer has not been caught yet...

In fact, not many people in the village wanted to catch the murderer. Even if there were occasional investigations, they wanted to ask the murderer how effective the heart blood was.

In short, after that, every household in the village would close the doors and windows at sunset to prevent others from coming in and disemboweling them.

After going to "father" to try the medicine and helping "mother" with some housework, I took a fishing rod and a small bucket from the house and walked to the small lake in the south of the village.

Fishing is one of my rare entertainments. When there are no classes in school, I will go to the small lake in the south of the village or the river in the east of the village to fish whenever I have nothing to do.

On the way to the lake, I dug some earthworms and picked some fruits as bait for fishing.

When I arrived at the lake, Min Ge'er was already fishing there.

Min Ge'er was a child who lived across from my house. He had the same fishing hobby as me and was one of my few friends.

His experience at home was not much better than mine. He had to collect morning dew for his "parents" every morning, and often had to accompany them to fast. His original purpose of fishing was because he was too hungry.

"Yan Ge'er, you are late today!" Min Ge'er greeted me from a distance.

I nodded lightly, then shook the small wooden barrel in my hand and said, "I dug some earthworms."

Then I found a fishing spot and sat down by myself, skillfully baited and cast the hook, quietly waiting for the fish to bite the hook.

After a while, Min Ge'er dropped his fishing rod and ran to my side, hesitating to say something.

I glanced at him and retracted my gaze. I was indifferent and didn't have much curiosity.

"Brother Yan," he finally spoke, "Have you ever thought about leaving the village?"

"Have you forgotten the little son of the tailor?" I replied indifferently.

The tailor's youngest son I mentioned tried to escape from the village a few years ago, but was caught and burned to ashes as one of the sacrifices for the longevity festival that year.

In fact, he was not the first villager I saw trying to escape, but I had never seen anyone succeed.

Maybe someone succeeded, but was concealed by the village chief and others?

Who knows, anyway, I don't care.

"I was guarding the sacrifice for my father two days ago, and then I talked to the sacrifice from outside for a long time..." Min Ge'er was silent for a long time, and then spoke again: "He said that the outside world is not like this. People outside know their biological fathers, and they will not push people into the fire pit and burn them to death every year, let alone a group of people who are thinking about how to live forever all day long!"

He became more and more excited, and I could even see the blue veins on his neck bulging.

However, I was still unmoved. I knew that the people in the village were not right, but I had no interest in going against them.

Seeing my indifferent look, Min Ge'er angrily threw his sleeves and left without even taking his precious fishing rod.

On the second day, I didn't see Min Ge'er by the lake. His fishing rod was still where it was yesterday. I didn't care and continued fishing.

On the third day, he still didn't show up.

On the fourth day, I saw Min Ge'er, who was covered in bruises, being dragged by two villagers towards the village chief's house.

It seemed that I had lost another friend.

I watched Min Ge'er being dragged away indifferently, then picked up the fishing rod and wooden barrel and turned to the river in the east of the village...

I probably don't want to go fishing in the small lake recently.

...

Today is the day to report to school. I finally didn't take my fishing rod and wooden barrel, but took out a schoolbag covered with a thin layer of dust from under the bed.

I slapped it hard a few times to get rid of the dust, and then I slung the light schoolbag across my shoulder and walked out of the house.

Because of the special nature of the village, our village school only taught us to recognize some common characters in the first two years. From the third grade onwards, there were no textbooks, and there were no classes to attend on weekdays.

Occasionally, someone would go around the village and shout, asking us to gather at the school, just like yesterday.

When we got to school, we were usually asked to work - such as making some handicrafts or helping to harvest wheat.

But today we were not asked to work, otherwise I would not have brought a schoolbag that I had not used for a long time.

According to the notice in the announcement yesterday, I should go to school for a physical examination today, and I brought a schoolbag to carry the physical examination report.

I was a little curious that I had a physical examination only half a year ago, and I had a physical examination once a year in the past.

But... it doesn't matter, just be obedient.

As the school got closer and closer, I put on a smiling expression on my face, greeted the acquaintances I met on the road, walked into the school gate, and came to my class... or grade.

There are not many children in the village, but not few. Basically, there is one class for each grade.

I smiled and nodded at those classmates who looked familiar but whose names I could not necessarily call, and I found a seat and sat down.

After a while, our class teacher, a serious middle-aged woman, walked in quickly.

She glanced around the classroom, her eyes seemed to stay on me for a while, and then she said straight to the point: "We will start the physical examination now. Those whose names I call should stand there immediately."

She pointed to the physical examination scale in the corner of the classroom, which was a thing that could measure weight and height at the same time.

One by one, the students were called up by the teacher. I leaned lazily against the wall and stared at the sky outside the window.

"Shang Yan!"

The teacher's voice pulled me back from the state of empty brain. I calmed down, then stood up and walked forward.

I took off my shoes by stepping on my heels, and stood barefoot on the rectangular iron block of the physical examination scale.

The pointer on the dial shook and stopped between the numbers 30 and 40.

I recalled it a little bit, it seems that the last physical examination was also in a similar position? It seems that the improvement in food during this period is of no use...

The teacher recorded the data on my physical examination form, and then pulled out a black iron rod from behind the dial. A flat piece of wood was attached to the iron rod, and the teacher pressed the wood on top of my head.

But she was probably too tired, and she didn't hold the iron rod firmly in her hand, and it fell back several times. It took a lot of effort to measure my height.

The teacher returned the physical examination form to me. I took a look and it seemed to be almost the same as the last physical examination, with no changes. But I didn't care about it and stuffed the form into my schoolbag.

Soon, the physical examination was over, and I slowly returned home from school.

"Where's the form?"

As soon as I stepped into the house, "father" and "mother" came to greet me in an uncharacteristic way.

Although I was a little surprised, I still handed over the form obediently.

After reading the form, they both seemed a little excited. Without waiting for me to ask anything, "father" dragged me into the house, while "mother" closed the door, but did not put on the chain.

After entering the house, "father" asked me to sit on a chair and went into the pharmacy. I didn't know what happened, so I could only sit on the chair in a daze.

After a while, I heard a noise outside, and then "Mother" came in with a group of people...

They were the teachers from the school and the village chief.

And "Father" also came out of the pharmacy at this time.

"Are you sure?" asked the village chief.

"Yes!" My teacher and "parents" nodded excitedly, "Father" replied: "In the past six months, I have been providing him with fish and meat, and feeding him some tonics from time to time, but his weight and height have not increased at all!"

"Mother" also added: "Before this, we have tried all kinds of things to feed him, and they did not produce the same effect!"

"So... did you eat something special outside?!"

My teacher rushed up in a flash, grabbed my shoulder tightly and asked, her face became extremely hideous, and the light in her eyes made me feel cold.

I looked at my "parents", the village chief, and other teachers blankly, and their expressions and eyes were exactly the same as my teacher's.

At this time, I realized belatedly that they seemed to think that I had achieved immortality?

And... the expressions on their faces... Isn't that the same expression as when the villagers were waiting to get the ashes from the pit during the Longevity Festival?

They want to eat me!

I finally understood.

I didn't care about anything at first, but suddenly I panicked. I struggled hard, trying to get out of the teacher's hands.

However, her hands were like iron clamps, tightly holding my shoulders.

"Tell me! How did you do it?" She asked loudly with greed on her face.

That hideous face was almost touching the tip of my nose.

Looking at the terrifying eyes that almost poked into my brain, I finally couldn't help but screamed...

"Ah!!!"

I sat up suddenly from the bed, my forehead and back were wet and cold.

I reached out to wipe the cold sweat on my forehead, and looked around with a little confusion.

The familiar furniture around me and the mobile phone charging at the bedside gradually calmed my pounding heart.

"It turned out to be just a nightmare..."

I took a long breath, then picked up the phone on the bedside and took a look.

April 16, 2022, Saturday, 7:34 am.

Today is the weekend, and I still have to write and update without a break... When I thought of this, I couldn't help but feel sad.

I pinched my thigh without giving up.

It hurts...

It's not a dream...

"Ah..."

ε=(ο｀*)

...

Recommendation ticket monthly ticket

The dream I mentioned before has been expanded a little.

Because it was written casually based on a dream, I tried the first person, and some of the logic in it is not so particular.

In fact, it can be further expanded, but after writing for a few days, I was too lazy to write it. The plot in the second half can be obviously seen to be a bit rushed, just because I don't want to write anymore...┑(￣Д￣)┍

And my brain is single-threaded, and writing this will affect the conception of the main text, so it's better to end it quickly.

I will turn it into a long story when I have the chance, for example, "I" really become immortal and escape from the village or something...

Well, I can't think about it anymore, I can't think about it anymore.