"Grandpa, you can go to your house first, then we'll go one by one."

I said to this unfortunate old man.

At this moment, the old man's eyes were already filled with tears. If it weren't for Luo Tianhe's words, I feel he could have knelt there until dark.

"Thank you, Master. I really don't know what to say."

"Let's go, sir, lead the way."

Luo Tianhe hurriedly interrupted.

It's not that he's insensitive, it's just that we're really pressed for time.

After all, there were at least eight or nine people in this village who died tragically like his grandson!

If we follow this approach for everything, we won't finish until midnight tonight.

We have a ceremony to send off zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) tonight, so we can't delay it.

"Alright, I'll take you there right away."

Soon we followed the old man to his family's ancestral hall.

The most eye-catching thing in the ancestral hall is a small coffin made of thin planks.

My grandfather told me that for children who die young, they usually don't use those heavy, large coffins.

Even if someone is rich, they wouldn't do that.

The coffin lid was not closed. Just as the old man had said, the child's death was extremely tragic. His eyes were wide open, filled with terror, and his mouth was agape, with black, foul blood flowing from his seven orifices.

His body was dismembered, and his neck was covered with marks from rough ropes.

The worst part is that, unaware that it had been sitting for several days, his body was already showing signs of decay.

The large and small patches of lividity and the exposed, rotting flesh were enough to send chills down one's spine.

I took out the suture thread and the three-edged bone needle, and first reattached his head. Then, I tried my best to give him a dignified appearance. The old man brought over a set of funeral clothes, and I silently changed into them with him.

"Alas, it was cut short after all, so let's keep things simple."

At this point, the old man's emotions had calmed down somewhat.

I nodded; I naturally understood the rules.

After stitching up his exposed, rotting flesh, I turned to look at the crowd of onlookers:

"Everyone, please stop following us and let the child leave quietly."

The villagers were now completely relieved.

There are naturally morticians in the village.

However, during the burial process, either I pricked my hand with a needle or the child's eyes suddenly opened; it was all very strange. But now everything is peaceful.

Upon hearing what I said, the villagers wisely left, leaving only those who were closer to the old man.

"Old Ge, where do you plan to bury the child? According to the rules, he cannot be buried in the ancestral grave."

An old man suddenly spoke up; he seemed to be Ge Laoqi's brother.

“Why can’t he be buried in the ancestral grave? My grandson died so tragically. If he’s buried outside, the wandering ghosts will bully him. If he’s buried in the ancestral grave, at least he’ll have his elders to protect him.”

The seventh brother's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at the old man who had spoken.

The old man sighed helplessly, but continued:

"Seventh Brother, I understand your grief, but rules are rules. Besides, burying it in the ancestral grave will offend the ancestral veins and be detrimental to the fortune of the entire family!"

Hearing this, the seventh brother became even angrier and pressed on:

"What use is that ancestral vein? My grandson died so tragically, and not a single person stepped forward to subdue that evil spirit!"

Upon hearing this, the old man became angry.

He slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang, pointed at the seventh brother's nose, and cursed:

"Seventh Brother Ge, I know you are grieving and have already yielded time and time again, but how could you utter such rebellious words! You are no longer a child. How can you treat something as trivial as offending the ancestral lineage?"

Luo Tianhe and I exchanged glances. After all, this was their family matter, and it wasn't appropriate for us to interfere.

Moreover, what they said made sense. After all, Ge Laoqi was worried that his child would be bullied by wandering ghosts, while the old man clearly valued rules more.

At this moment, an old man came in to smooth things over:

“You can bury him in a place not far from the ancestral graves, so that the ancestors can help take care of him and it won’t break the rules.”

In fact, this behavior is already considered a bad rule. In principle, children should be buried in mass graves, or in unclaimed wastelands such as the foot of mountains or riverbanks.

However, this is a special case.

Given all this, Ge Laoqi could no longer bring himself to refuse.

They quickly discussed the matter and determined the burial location, knowing that I was short on time.

After everything was tidied up, we nailed the coffin lid shut, and then several of the younger relatives carried the coffin toward the designated location.

Ge Laoqi and the old man each held a large black umbrella, completely covering the coffin.

Li Huai nudged me stealthily and whispered in my ear:

"Brother Yan, why are they using umbrellas in broad daylight?"

I glared at him, annoyed, and replied in a low voice:

"You don't even know this? He was just a child, and his soul was quite fragile. The black umbrella was used to cover the coffin, meaning that it would never see the light of day, to prevent his soul from being scattered by the sunlight."

"There's another way to say it."

Li Huai was somewhat surprised.

However, he knew relatively little about this kind of common sense.

After all, he had no family, and his parents died early. He grew up in an orphanage, so the people there naturally wouldn't teach him these things.

They chose a side path, deliberately avoiding the crowds.

The old man and Ge Laoqi continued to call out to the spirit all the way:

"Child, go well and don't look back. Find a good family to live with."

Upon arriving at the designated location, several strong young men began digging a hole with practiced ease.

This village is relatively underdeveloped and doesn't have excavators or anything like that, so burials are all done by hand.

Soon, a small pit was dug, the coffin was placed inside, and then the soil was filled back in, leaving no mound or tombstone.

They spread the excess soil on the side, making sure the packaging was neat and tidy.

After doing all this, Ge Laoqi was finally relieved.

His rough hands gripped mine tightly, his eyes brimming with tears.

If we hadn't repeatedly emphasized this before, he would definitely be kneeling down by now.

"Master, I really don't know how to thank you. If you need it, you can even take my old life!"

I waved my hand, trying to comfort her:

“We came here to do this kind of thing. Your grandson has had a lot of bad luck in this life, but he will be reborn into a better family in the next life.”

The old man nodded vigorously after hearing what I said.

Back in the village, the villagers were waiting for us at the entrance. When they saw us return, a group of people surrounded me again.

"Master, isn't it my wife's turn now?"

"Master, please bury my father first. He was so old, and he died such a tragic death."

"Please, Master, let my husband be buried. He worked hard all his life, and now his body is left exposed in the ancestral hall after he dies."

Looking at the noisy villagers, I suddenly felt a headache coming on.

"Don't rush, proceed according to the order of death, those who died first will be buried first."