The table was filled with baijiu (Chinese liquor). There are plenty of people in our area who can drink a lot, especially some of the older men, who drink baijiu like it's water.
I know very well that drinking with these people could easily get me drunk, so I won't try to outdrink them; a little drinking is enough.
"Your Liu family is an ancient family that has produced many outstanding individuals. Back then, we were in awe of your grandfather's abilities."
Once they started drinking, the old men became more talkative, reminiscing about old times.
A middle-aged man who looked like an official, sitting at the table, raised his glass to me and said, "I've long heard of Master Liu's great reputation. Today, I'd like to toast you." He then downed his glass, and I returned the toast by taking a sip.
From the conversation with the elderly people nearby, I learned that this person was an official in the county's education department, and I heard that he was also the principal of a school. He was considered a prominent figure in the area.
"Speaking of which, if you were to marry Wang Ling, we would be related by marriage. Wang Ling should call me uncle."
I nodded and smiled. People in officialdom are all shrewd and calculating; I generally don't like to deal with them unless absolutely necessary.
He then took out another business card and handed it to me, saying, "If you need anything, come to me. I'll definitely help you if I can."
I accepted the business card. Even though I didn't want to do anything with him, I had to give him face, right? That's how it is at drinking parties.
Most people were drunk after the meal, but I was relatively sober. I had a legitimate reason not to drink since I was going to visit a cemetery in the afternoon.
Wang Ling poured me a glass of water. "How are you? Are you alright?"
"It's nothing," I waved my hand, and felt much better after drinking a glass of water. I took the compass and asked the host to bring some incense and paper money before heading into the mountains to check the cemetery.
Here, people usually choose their burial plot in advance when they get old, but this family didn't expect him to die so soon. They had just prepared the coffin and hadn't even had time to look at the burial plot.
Once inside the mountains, I observed the terrain and looked at the compass in my hand. When I arrived at a valley, I had a clue what was going on.
I asked the host to light incense and burn some paper at the chosen cemetery, so that they could kowtow and kneel in worship as an offering to the land god.
Then, under my guidance, they started digging the grave. The direction, the size, width, and depth of the grave were all important. My grandfather used to help people look after graves and once dug up a live loach. Ideally, he would dig up a snake.
Of course, I don't have that ability, otherwise I would be searching for these auspicious feng shui locations all day long.
Ninety-one corpses
Several grown men dug it out in just over an hour. Then they burned it with fire for a while to kill as many insects and bacteria as possible in the soil, and also to dry out the tomb.
The grave has been dug, and we're just waiting for the burial tomorrow. This time, the ritual is relatively simple. Some rituals take half a month or even a month because some people die on the wrong day and have to wait several days before being placed in the coffin. If it's winter, that's fine, but in the hot weather, the body starts to stink after a few days. In the countryside, burial isn't like crematoriums where the body is put in a freezer, which is really disgusting. I've encountered that a few times, and the stench of the corpse could be smelled for miles around.
My funeral will be tomorrow, and then my affairs will be over. The funeral team will take care of the rest of the days.
When I got back, I had to perform some rituals and chant some scriptures. By the time the rituals were finished, it was almost five o'clock. As soon as I got back to my grandmother's house, Wang Ling came looking for me.
I was told to go to her house to visit. Her mother made dumplings tonight and invited me to try them. She said her mother's dumplings were incredibly delicious.
I couldn't refuse, so I went to her house. When I got there, I saw that it was lunchtime, and the county official was there with his wife and daughter.
I had a vague idea of what was going on, but I remained calm and waited to see what his purpose was.
The county magistrate's name is Guo Gang, and I heard he's about to be promoted.
When I arrived at Wang Ling's house, her mother had just finished cooking the dumplings. Guo Gang's family treated me with great courtesy, constantly quoting "Master" and smoking one good cigarette after another.
It was clear that Wang Ling's mother was very pleased with me. She was incredibly kind to me at the table, asking about my well-being and ladling out a large bowl of dumplings for me, telling me to eat as much as I wanted and that she would make more if I wasn't full.
"Is it delicious?" Wang Ling's mother asked with a smile.
"Delicious," I nodded in reply. The dumplings were indeed delicious, but I certainly wouldn't eat them in large quantities.
After we finished eating, Guo Gang invited me to take a walk outside the village. I thought to myself, "The real purpose is about to be revealed."
Guo Gang handed me a cigarette and said, "Master Liu, I've heard that your ancestors were very famous Yin-Yang masters. Old Master Liu in the Republic of China was famous all over the country. To be honest, the main reason I came back this time is to ask you for a favor."
As soon as I heard it, I understood the gist of it. This person must be about to be promoted, and in order to ensure a smooth process, he probably wanted me to help him with some kind of ritual. The most direct way was to move the graves of his ancestors.
"I have a chance to be promoted to Director of the Education Bureau, but another colleague also has a chance, so I hope you can help me get promoted smoothly. I will definitely reward you if it goes well."
"What do you want to do?" I asked, puffing out smoke, inwardly scoffing, "All crows are black."
"Hmm, that's simple. It should be easy for Master Liu to do. He just needs to cause some kind of accident to happen to my colleague so that he loses the opportunity to compete with me." A sinister glint flashed in Guo Gang's eyes as he stubbed out his cigarette. "He thinks he can compete with me just because he's older and more senior. What makes him so special?"
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