Selected Works of Zhao Shuli - 60 Literary Masters of the Century

Author: Zhao Shuli
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Publish Date: 2006-05-01
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One of the taboos of the gods Liu Jiajiao has two gods: one is Er Kongming from the front village, and the other is San Xianggu from the back village. Er Kongming is also known as Er Zhuge, originally named Liu Xiude, who used to do business and always argued about the yin and yang and the yellow and black paths whenever he took a step or moved his hands. San Xianggu is the wife of Yu Fu from the back village, who always shook her head and swayed while wearing red cloth on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, pretending to be a deity. Er Kongming avoids the taboo of "not suitable for planting," while San Xianggu avoids the taboo of "rice has rotten." There are two small stories here:
One spring, there was a severe drought, and it didn’t rain until the third day of the fifth lunar month. On the fourth day, everyone rushed to plant, but Er Kongming looked at the almanac and calculated with his fingers, saying, "Today is not suitable for planting." The fifth day was the Dragon Boat Festival, and he never did anything on that day, nor did he plant; the sixth day was a lucky day, but the ground was still dry. Although he managed to plant his four acres of millet, only half of it grew. Later, it didn’t rain again until the fifteenth day, and while others were weeding in the fields, Er Kongming led his two children to fill in the gaps. A young man from the neighboring village encountered Er Kongming on the street while eating and asked, "Old man! Is it suitable for planting today?" Er Kongming glared at him and turned his head away. Everyone laughed and spread the story as a joke.
San Xianggu had a daughter named Xiaoqin. One day, Jin Wang’s father went to San Xianggu’s place to ask for a cure, and San Xianggu sat behind the incense altar, singing, while Jin Wang’s father knelt in front of it to listen. Xiaoqin was only nine years old that year. In the afternoon, she was cooking rice and put the rice into the pot. Hearing her mother humming in a pleasant way, she stood in front of the table for a while, forgetting to cook. A while later, Jin Wang’s father went out for a bathroom break, and San Xianggu took the opportunity to tell Xiaoqin, "Quick, fetch the rice! The rice has rotten!" Unbeknownst to her, Jin Wang’s father heard this, and the news spread back home. Later, some playful people would deliberately ask others when they saw San Xianggu, "Has the rice rotten?"
The Origin of San Xianggu
San Xianggu had been possessed by a spirit for thirty years. Back then, she was only fifteen years old and had just married Yu Fu. She was considered one of the most beautiful women in the front and back villages. Yu Fu was a simple-minded young man who didn’t say much and only toiled in the fields. His mother had passed away early, leaving only his father, and when both of them went to the fields, there was only the new wife at home. The young people in the village felt that the new wife was too lonely and gradually came to accompany her voluntarily. Soon, a large group gathered, and they laughed and had fun every day. Yu Fu’s father saw that it wasn’t right and once lost his temper, scolding them, although he managed to keep outsiders away, the new wife started arguing with him. The new wife cried for a whole day and night, without combing her hair, washing her face, or eating, lying on the bed, and no one could wake her up. The father and son had no choice. A neighbor’s wife invited a spirit medium to her house, who performed a ritual and claimed that San Xianggu had possessed her. She then hummed and declared herself the "long and short of my deity" and began to be possessed on the first and fifteenth days of each month. People started burning incense for her to seek wealth and health, and the altar for San Xianggu was established from then on.
The young men who went to San Xianggu were more likely to visit to see the holy image than to ask for divination. San Xianggu also subtly understood their intentions and wore fresher clothes, combed her hair more smoothly, and polished her jewelry even brighter...