Chapter 72

There are no filial children before a long-term sickbed.

At a funeral, those who cry and scream and perform extremely exaggeratedly are often not the children who have served by the side for many years.

On the contrary, those who have taken care of and served the elderly day after day and sent them off find it very difficult to cry at the funeral.

Anything that can add a "value" suffix is limited, such as emotions.

After being consumed for a long time, it naturally runs out.

Just like Yin Meng at this moment, she smiled, not a forced smile, but a kind of relief and luck.

Her grandfather was trapped in the coffin, and she was trapped in the coffin shop.

Both grandfather and granddaughter were suffering.

Now, finally, both sides had been liberated.

The luck was because she had held on until the end. She hadn't shown impatience, hadn't shown depression, she had always maintained a positive and sunny attitude every day helping her grandfather change diapers and wipe his body, lying on the edge of the coffin talking to her grandfather.

She knew this was what she should do. After all, she was brought up by her grandfather. She would feel self-disgust for the numbness and disgust that suddenly rose in her heart at a certain moment, and then it was self-criticism and education.

She was very afraid that she wouldn't be able to hold on. She didn't want to show a side that didn't fit a "good granddaughter" in front of her grandfather, even if it was just a tiny bit, she absolutely wouldn't allow it.

Now, she had won.

Won a clear conscience for the rest of her life.

Tan Wenbin stepped forward first and also said with a smile: "The old man left peacefully; it's a happy funeral."

Runsheng: "Let's hold the funeral."

The funeral was very simple, because there were really no outside guests. Yin Meng didn't need to wrap black gauze and tie white ropes to kneel and invite people.

On both sides of the shop sign, two white lanterns were hung.

At the entrance, a wreath was placed, with the names of three people left on it, and the couplet was written by Li Zhuiyuan, because among the four, he was the one who wrote good calligraphy with a brush.

There was an old stereo in the shop, and now it was placed outside, playing funeral music.

But this was Fengdou, and it was the Ghost Street, and the storefront was a coffin shop. Even if so many things were arranged, passersby wouldn't think someone had died; they would subconsciously think this was an activity to add atmosphere.

For a time, there were more guests coming into the shop to look than usual.

After changing the old man into longevity clothes, Yin Meng put on mourning clothes and sat cross-legged in front of the mourning hall.

Tan Wenbin and Runsheng sat opposite each other burning paper money.

Paper ash drifted, and the house was a bit stuffy.

It just so happened that it started to rain outside, so Li Zhuiyuan simply closed the genealogy and moved a small stool to sit at the shop entrance.

The rainwater brought fresh air and also washed away the pedestrians on the street.

Runsheng asked: "How are the funeral arrangements here? How long will the spirit be kept?"

Yin Meng: "I want to bury my grandfather tonight."

Runsheng reminded: "This doesn't conform to the rules."

Unless the world is chaotic and things are urgent, he really hadn't heard of any place where someone would be buried on the night they died.

Yin Meng: "It doesn't matter if it's rules or not."

Tan Wenbin immediately echoed: "Those who have fulfilled their filial piety while alive have the confidence, and indeed there is no need to act."

Runsheng asked: "Then I'll push it over for you. Where is your family's ancestral grave?"

Yin Meng shook her head: "My family has no ancestral grave. My family's tradition is water burial."

Runsheng: "Which water area?"

Yin Meng shook her head again: "I don't know. When grandfather was here, he didn't tell me the details about these."

Li Zhuiyuan, who was sitting at the shop entrance with his back to the crowd listening to the rain, spoke: "Nine-Turn River."

Yin Meng asked curiously: "Xiao Yuan, how did you know?"

"It's written in your family's genealogy."

"It's written? I've read the genealogy, I don't remember it being written."

"It's in the notes at the back. One of your ancestors in the Ming Dynasty recorded the process of his father's burial, and it was written very detailed."

"Oh, no wonder. I didn't read those notes; there were too many and they were too dense, and the characters were very hard to understand."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Your grandfather was indeed too careless."

Clearly he was already old, yet he didn't inform his granddaughter about these funeral arrangements in advance.

Of course, it might also be that the old man didn't value these rules long ago, after all, he could even lend out the genealogy as he said.

The son was "missing without news," the only blood relative was the granddaughter, and he himself was in poor health. He should have long been prepared for the family inheritance to be cut off, otherwise he wouldn't have even taught Yin Meng the yin-walking method.

"Then, come help me arrange my grandfather's burial, okay, Xiao Yuan?"

Runsheng: "Call him brother."

Tan Wenbin set an example: "Brother Yuan, what do you want to eat at noon? I'll go buy it."

Yin Meng stood up from the cushion and walked to Li Zhuiyuan's side, half-squatting down:

"Brother Yuan, help me."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Yin Meng breathed a sigh of relief, turned her head and shouted to Tan Wenbin: "Go to that Lady Wang's braised food shop, I want to eat pig's trotters."

Tan Wenbin opened his umbrella and walked into the rain curtain.

Before long, he came back carrying a large bag of food.

No wine, but good meat and vegetables.

The four sat in a circle, the plastic bag was opened, and it was placed on the ground.

The rice was from home, cooked by Runsheng himself, and he didn't dare let Yin Meng intervene.

A large basin of rice was brought up, Li Zhuiyuan and Yin Meng each had half a bowl, and the rest of this basin, which hadn't been reduced much, was all handed over to Runsheng and Tan Wenbin.

While eating, Tan Wenbin asked: "What do you plan to do next? Continue to run this coffin shop?"

Yin Meng stopped the action of gnawing on the pig's trotter, secretly glanced at Li Zhuiyuan, and whispered: "I already called him brother."

"What does that mean?" Tan Wenbin didn't understand for a moment.

Runsheng: "She's clinging to us."

Yin Meng stretched out her leg and kicked Runsheng.

Tan Wenbin said with some surprise: "What are you thinking? Want to go with us? This place is quite far from Nantong."

Yin Meng said indifferently: "Anyway, I have no relatives now, one person eats and the whole family isn't hungry, I can go anywhere, and I have no friends, just the three of you."

Tan Wenbin said with some difficulty: "However, Grandpa Li's family already has me eating for free."

Yin Meng: "I can work, help cook and so on."

Runsheng: "..."

Tan Wenbin: "..."

Li Zhuiyuan also had to speak: "After you go home with us, you can do nothing, but don't let your hands itch to cook."

Even Tan Wenbin's iron stomach couldn't take it. I'm afraid if Yin Meng went home and cooked a meal, she could directly send him and Grandpa Li away.

"You agreed?" Yin Meng asked happily, "Then I'll go to Nantong with you."

"Mm, good."

Old Man, this granddaughter of yours is actually much smarter than you think.

After the meal, the funeral music continued to play outside the door, and everyone sat in front of the mourning hall and started playing cards.

At first, they played four-person landlord fighting, but after a while, the three tacitly excluded Li Zhuiyuan and played three-person landlord fighting.

By the afternoon, the three dispersed.

The things in the shop needed to be handled. Those handicrafts weren't worth much money, and giving them away was fine. What was truly valuable in the shop were the coffins. The old man used one, and four were left.

Fortunately, coffins were hard currency at the time.

Every family had elderly people, and the elderly would prepare longevity coffins for themselves before they died.

In order to sell them as soon as possible, Yin Meng gave a 50% discount, and the four coffins were quickly sold, and she took cash.

Runsheng and Tan Wenbin pushed the cart and delivered the four coffins to the shops. Yes, they didn't even leave the Ghost Street and were bought by other merchants.

They weren't afraid that temporarily placing coffins outside the shop would affect business. Here, it was as common as placing a beckoning cat.

Yin Meng sat there counting the money: "Fortunately, the rent for next month hasn't been paid yet. When the time comes, the remaining things in the house will be left to the landlord."

Runsheng threw away the cooked vegetables left over from noon and cooked a large pot of mixed porridge.

After eating and drinking enough, the sky outside was completely dark.

Yin Fuhai's coffin was placed on a pushcart. Runsheng pushed the cart in front, Tan Wenbin pushed from behind, Yin Meng followed the cart, and Li Zhuiyuan sat on the coffin lid, holding an umbrella in his hand.

It wasn't that the boy was being big and deliberately lazy, but the road for burial wasn't easy to walk, and he needed to sit high and see far to plan.

Burial at night, and still on the Ghost Street, if they bumped around blindly, God knows what they would run into.

They were returning tomorrow, and Li Zhuiyuan didn't want to encounter any sudden programs tonight.

Leaving the street, leaving the county, passing the village, the coffin was transported to that river beach, and the journey was safe and smooth.

In front was the Nine-Turn Head, which locals called Nine-Dragon Turn. As the name suggests, the river section here is winding and tortuous, with many extreme bends.

After passing this Nine-Dragon Turn, the rest of the river is straight all the way, and can flow directly into the Yangtze River.

From the perspective of Feng Shui, this place accumulates momentum and builds embankments, waiting to be released.

Water burial here implies that the deceased washes away the dust of their life and washes away all karma.

After seeing the real scene, Li Zhuiyuan felt a little strange. Because logically speaking, this place actually wasn't a good location for water burial.

In the eyes of normal people, the deceased should get rest, but here, it is traveling light.

If this place were chosen as the place for newborns to receive baptism and blessings and for coming-of-age ceremonies, it would be more appropriate.

On the shore, Tan Wenbin set up the altar.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Yin Meng: "Can you recite the eulogy?"

Yin Meng spread her hands, she was already used to this kind of response today: "No, don't understand."

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly felt that he seemed to have suffered a bit of a loss, because he was equivalent to sitting in a fast for the old man.

But this item wasn't in the deal.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the altar, pointed to his side, and said to Yin Meng: "Kneel here with the incense."

"Hey, good."

Yin Meng was very obedient. After lighting the incense, she knelt down, holding the incense with both hands, higher than her head.

Li Zhuiyuan made a gesture to Runsheng, and Runsheng pushed the coffin on the shore into the water.

But the coffin wasn't washed down by the current, but continued to linger on the shore.

Li Zhuiyuan lit yellow paper with a candle, and under the waving, scattered the burning yellow paper in batches into the air, threw it on the ground, and threw it into the river.

Borrowing the light that hadn't gone out yet, Li Zhuiyuan supported the altar with both hands, his eyes slightly drooping, his body slightly swaying, and he began to chant the eulogy.

The first half of the eulogy was all praising Yin Changsheng, the so-called Great Emperor of Fengdou.

These, Li Zhuiyuan completely recited from the records in the notes, and there was nothing that needed to be modified.

The second half needed to describe his life, which couldn't be copied, and had to be based on the specific situation of the "deceased."

However, the old man really had nothing to brag about. He not only didn't carry forward the family inheritance, but almost cut it off in his hands.

If it weren't for the one-eyed woman taking the first step to poison people to death, the old man would have to bear the karma of being implicated in the extermination of the family. As for what difficulties or reasons you have, the Heavenly Dao doesn't care.

Since there were no achievements or highlights in his life, all Li Zhuiyuan could brag about was "conscientious."

In order to make up the content of the eulogy, Li Zhuiyuan took this point and repeatedly described it from multiple aspects and angles.

After feeling it was about enough, Li Zhuiyuan began to wrap up, which was also the most critical step.

I saw the boy first take a deep breath, then lean forward, entering a semi-yin-walking state;

His voice no longer existed only in reality, but also spread to another invisible and untouchable "world."

"Li Zhuiyuan on behalf of the filial son Yin Meng,

Respectfully request the Great Emperor of Fengdou to set the Yellow Springs, suppress the Yin Division, and open the Yin Gate.

Receive,

Yin family disciple Yin Fuhai,

Return to Fengdou, step toward rebirth, enter the Pure Land."

Li Zhuiyuan tilted his neck back, ended the yin-walking, and then said to Yin Meng beside him: "Kowtow."

Yin Meng immediately kowtowed to the river surface to pay her respects.

The ceremony ended.

Wind rose on the river beach, and even ordinary people could perceive the cold and eerie nature of this wind.

The next moment, the coffin, which seemed to still have nostalgia for the world of the living, finally left the shore and drifted toward the depths of the river.

Tan Wenbin watched very carefully and seemed to have discovered something. One hand covered his mouth to prevent screaming, and the other hand hit Runsheng's arm hard.

Runsheng understood Binbin's meaning. He also saw it. In the water surface below the coffin, four shadows appeared.

The shadows became more and more solid, the coffin gradually left the water surface, and the shadows below turned into four ghostly, substantial existences, carrying the coffin and continuing to move forward in the river.

Runsheng sniffed, what a rich smell of water corpse rot.

These four carrying the coffin seemed to be the dead.

Li Zhuiyuan also watched this scene. What he saw was actually more than Runsheng, such as these four carrying the coffin, who should have been corpses that drowned in this river area some year, they weren't washed away by the current, but were buried deep under the river mud and sand.

At this moment, they all "revived," as if they had been temporarily conscripted to serve as coffin carriers.

This again proved Li Zhuiyuan's previous guess that this Fengdou Ghost City indeed had its own unique specialness.

At the same time, it indirectly confirmed another guess that Yin Changsheng swallowed a corpse pill to "become an immortal," and this "immortal" should be the antonym of its literal meaning.

And those dozens of Daoist friends Yin Changsheng said he saw after becoming an immortal and who didn't like to go out and lived in seclusion, most likely weren't any immortal-like existences, but powerful and terrifying dead.

It's just that I don't know if they have communicated privately... and whether I will have the opportunity to come into contact with them in the future.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo! ~~~"

Although it was still early before dawn, a high-pitched rooster crow came from somewhere nearby.

The sun wasn't called out, but a strange red appeared on the clouds above, making the river beach and the river surface look extremely gloomy and oppressive.

This phenomenon passed in a flash, so fast that you could mistake it for just a momentary dazzle.

Then, the coffin, which although "drifted far" was still in sight, also disappeared.

Tan Wenbin supported Runsheng's shoulder and jumped several times hard:

"Eh, why did it suddenly disappear? Did it sink?"

Runsheng: "It was picked up."

Li Zhuiyuan supported the altar, his forehead full of sweat, and kept taking deep breaths.

Yin Meng climbed up from the ground and asked with concern: "Xiao Yuan... brother, are you okay?"

She felt very guilty, thinking the boy was overdrawn because he helped her hold the funeral.

But in fact, after learning the Yin family's twelve methods and filling in that most basic short board, Li Zhuiyuan wouldn't be as prone to nosebleeds as before.

His current state was extreme fear.

Because just now, even if the time was short, he had time to walk the yin instantly and run to the front to "take a look."

As soon as this thought arose, he sensed a huge sense of crisis.

It seemed that as long as he did so, he would see true terror.

So many years had passed, and the Yin family members were dead, yet they could still attract "four ghosts carrying the coffin" to receive them, proving that the logic of its operation hadn't collapsed yet.

Did this also mean that Yin Changsheng, the Great Emperor of Fengdou... he was still there?

Closing his eyes, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva with difficulty, and when he opened them again, Li Zhuiyuan's breathing eased.

He turned around, facing the direction of the Fengdou Ghost Street, the horror in his eyes replaced by a faint excitement:

It's really good that you're still there.

This world is truly becoming more and more interesting.

The boy was reassured, because he was convinced that even when he grew up, he wouldn't feel bored.

Packing up the things, the four returned to the Ghost Street coffin shop.

After the clearance sale, the shop was very empty, and everyone could only sleep on the floor for the night. After the coffins were gone, they actually missed them very much.

The next morning, the four took their luggage and boarded the boat at the Ghost Street wharf.

No need to go to Wanzhou anymore; next, they were heading straight for the mountain city.

Yin Meng stood at the bow of the boat, watching the river surface under her feet being constantly cut open.

Standing at the stern and somewhat reluctant to leave was Li Zhuiyuan.

Like a famous dish, tasting it briefly, while having endless aftertaste, still retaining huge expectations.

Although he knew this was a way to court death, he believed that when he grew up and the time was ripe, he would return to this ghost city again to try to dig into the secrets at its core.

The wharf gradually moved away, the street gradually moved away, and the mountains were also gradually moving away, but the future was approaching step by step.

After returning to the mountain city, Li Zhuiyuan called Xue Liangliang.

Xue Liangliang informed the boy that the restoration work of the bamboo slips would still take a long time, and when he finished the project at hand and returned to Jin Ling, he would bring the restored bamboo slips back and personally deliver them to Nantong to the boy.

Without staying too long in the mountain city, the four went to the train station and bought tickets back.

It's just that this time there was no Xue Liangliang's channel relationship, and the four only bought hard sleeper tickets, six people in one compartment, and not one was a bottom bunk.

Even though Li Zhuiyuan was still young, lying on the hard sleeper bunk still felt cramped.

The other three were even worse; these bunks could only be used for lying down and not sitting, making them suffer.

Therefore, except for sleeping at night, the three of them liked to move around in the aisle outside.

Tan Wenbin specifically told Yin Meng several times not to give food or drink on the train, and not to have too much contact with any strangers.

The little girl in red last time left too deep a shadow on everyone, and they really didn't want to be bitten by a white-eyed wolf again.

When they arrived at Nantong station, it was already the middle of the night. The few taxis and black cars outside the station chose to refuse the ride when they heard they were going to the countryside.

Later, there was really no other way, so Tan Wenbin went to a telephone booth to call Tan Yunlong.

The four sat on the side of the road and waited for a period of time, and a pickup truck emitting a rich seafood smell stopped in front of them.

Tan Yunlong threw the cigarette butt in his hand out of the car window and urged: "Get in the car quickly, I have to hurry to return the car, people are going to use this car to pick up goods in the morning."

When the pickup drove to Siyuan Village, the sky was already bright.

When the car stopped, Tan Yunlong looked at his son and asked: "Go home with me, your mother misses you."

"It's fine, I'll go back tomorrow, let my mother enjoy another day of the joy of mother and son reunion."

After speaking, before his old man could scold him, Tan Wenbin got out of the car first.

While the others were still getting their luggage, he waved his arms excitedly and ran toward home, shouting while running:

"Grandpa Li, Grandpa Li!"

From the dam came Li Sanjiang's laughing scolding, knowing the answer:

"I say, this early in the morning, who is it?"

"It's Zhuangzhuang, Zhuangzhuang is back!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 73 =====