劉杰
相傳很早以前,牟平鵲山腳下住著一位姓王的小伙子,忠厚老實,手腳勤快,莊稼地里也是一把好手,只是由于父母去得早,家境又貧寒,雖說已經(jīng)到了婚配的年齡,可由于拿不出像樣的彩禮,盡管和心上人情投意合,可遲遲沒有成婚。
舊時鵲山這里有個風俗,若家里人生的頭胎是男孩子,要抱出去撞貴人(也叫出行),遇到的第一個人就是他的貴人。若是遇到男的就拜為“干爹”;遇到女的就拜為“干媽”,這小伙子的心上人正是他干爹的女兒——他的干妹妹。
其實他干爹也早就看出了兩個人的心思。雖說這干兒子無論相貌、人品、還是手藝都沒得挑,但是家境也太貧寒,怕女兒嫁過去受罪,故一直沒有答應兩人的親事, 后來竟要把女兒嫁給外地的一個老財作小妾。
哪知女兒尋死覓活地非她的王干哥不嫁,老人也沒有辦法。于是又想在他干兒子身上打主意。老人佯裝答應了兩人的親事,但是提出了一個條件:必須拿出像樣的彩禮,才可以來迎親。拿什么東西作彩禮呢?金銀財寶你拿不出,聽說鵲山里有人參,你就去挖棵人參來當彩禮吧!這老頭子的心里想的是:“小子,挖人參可不是什么容易的事,你就知難而退主動提出解除婚約吧!”
誰知小伙子一聽條件這么簡單,當即答應了,第二天就出發(fā),進鵲山挖人參去了。
可是過了一天,小伙子沒有回來;又過了一天,小伙子還是沒有回來;再過了一天,小伙子還是沒有回來。姑娘坐不住了,哭鬧著央求父親派人去找,一連找了四五天,終于在一座懸崖底下找到了,可是人已經(jīng)不在了,大概是攀懸崖時不小心掉下來摔死的。
姑娘聽到噩耗,頓時昏死了過去,一連幾天湯水未進,不久的工夫也辭世而去。
我問:“再后來呢?”,母親說:“再后來就有了這種鳥兒,每年這個季節(jié)都會出現(xiàn),人們都說這鳥兒就是這個姑娘變的?!蔽矣謫?:“為什么它非得這個季節(jié)來呢?”“來找她的干哥哥呀。”母親說,“人們都說她干哥哥變成了一棵人參,這個季節(jié)就開花結果了,這鳥兒是來把人參種子銜回家的。有人根據(jù)叫聲叫它“爹爹糊涂”或“王干哥”;也有人叫它人參鳥。相傳,有人參鳥的地方就有人參。
聽完母親的故事,我久久不能入睡。沒想到這鳥兒有這么令人唏噓的故事,心中也直罵這嫌貧愛富的干爹——真是糊涂爹爹。后來又聽到過這種鳥兒叫,不大感到害怕了,但心里始終為姑娘和小伙子婉惜。
這個故事在鵲山一帶流傳很廣,一般歲數(shù)在四五十歲以上的人都知道。如果你在7-9月份來鵲山小住,說不定真能親耳聽到人參鳥的叫聲呢。
Once upon a time, there lived a young man named Wang at the foot of Queshan Mountain. He was upright, hardworking and a good hand at farming. But due to the early death of his parents and his poor family, he was unable to offer decent betrothal gifts and thus did not get married with his sweetheart although he was old enough to get married.
In the old days, there was a custom, known as “bumping into ones lucky star” or “traveling out”, in villages near Queshan Mountain. If the first child in a family was a boy, he would be carried out to meet his “l(fā)ucky star”, the first person he came across. The baby boy was expected to take the first man he came across as his “adopted father” or the first woman as his “adopted mother”. This young mans sweetheart was just the daughter of his adopted father. In other words, she was his adopted sister.