Chapter 658 Uncle Chu, Please Give Me a Coffin

The coffin shop will keep you safe.

Just as the people of Daning County had expected, the place was deserted and no customers came at all.

According to the neighbors, the coffin shop would close within a year.

"Uncle Chu!"

A boy carrying a food box walked into the coffin shop.

The coffin shop has no lobby. As soon as you enter the door, you will see a yard with many coffin boards leaning against the walls on both sides.

"My sister asked me to bring it to you."

The boy placed the food box on the stone table in the yard, walked straight to the dozens of human-shaped wooden sculptures placed in the yard, and was about to reach out to touch them.

"Didn't I tell you not to touch these wood carvings?"

There was a sound coming from the inner room. The boy stopped immediately and looked at the man who walked out of the room. He laughed and said, "Uncle Chu, your wood carving is so lifelike. I wanted to take it to have a look."

"If you want to see this wood carving, you have to take me as your master and learn from me."

The boy's face fell in an instant: "Uncle Chu, you know my sister won't agree."

In his sister's mind, he should learn martial arts.

"Uncle Chu, why don't you marry my sister? Then you will be my brother-in-law. My sister will definitely not object if I learn carving from you."

Chu Ning glared at the boy angrily: "Stop talking like that. I told you long ago that your uncle Chu has a wife."

"What's wrong with having a wife? She ran off with someone else. My sister also has a brother-in-law. It's perfect for you two to be together."

The little boy muttered this sentence softly, but with Chu Ning's hearing ability, he could hear it clearly and could only smile.

Ever since he opened a coffin shop here, many girls have been interested in him because of his good looks, and matchmakers have come to propose marriage to him, but he refused them on the grounds that he already has a wife.

I don't know how it got changed when it was passed on to other people.

It turned out that he had married a woman from a wealthy family because of his handsome face, but because he ran a coffin shop and his business was not very good, his wife ran away with someone else.

This rumor is one thing, but what's even more outrageous is that many aunties and grandmas use this to educate their daughters, telling them that when choosing a husband, they should not just look at his appearance, but also whether he has the ability to make money. If a man only has good looks but can't make money, then he is not a good choice to marry.

The common translation is, we want bread but not love.

When Chu Ning heard this rumor, he was also very upset. He didn't know which unscrupulous person spread such a rumor.

It was true that when Zhang San at the head of the village died a chicken, the news would spread to the end of the village and become Li Si's beloved wife.

As for the boy's sister, she is a strong woman. Her parents died early, and she set up a tofu stall by herself to earn money to support her younger brother. She is considered a tofu beauty.

A few years ago, a matchmaker introduced a marriage to this tofu beauty. The man had already given the engagement letter, but the man suddenly fell ill and died, so the tofu beauty was broken off from the engagement.

The county town was so small that the news naturally spread. In the eyes of the neighbors, she was destined to be a tofu-loving woman. In addition, she had a younger brother who was a burden, so naturally no one would act as a matchmaker for her.

Chu Ning knew in his heart that Tofu Xishi was probably in love with him, after all, he was so beautiful.

Moreover, he was the owner of a coffin shop, and many people were taboo about his profession. His wife had run away with someone else. In Tofu Xishi's eyes, the two of them were probably a perfect match.

Asking her brother to bring her food is a way of showing her affection.

It’s a pity that the flowers are willing but the water is heartless.

Opening the lunch box, there was a bowl of hot tofu and soy milk. Chu Ning didn't hesitate. It's not that he was a scumbag, but he didn't like other people and enjoyed the things they gave him.

But after he refused several times, this tofu beauty still asked his brother to deliver it to him, so he could only accept it calmly.

…

…

"Excuse me, is the shopkeeper here?"

Just as Chu Ning was enjoying his tofu meal, footsteps were heard at the door and a middle-aged man walked in.

"What's the matter?"

"Are you the shopkeeper?"

The middle-aged man looked exhausted, and looked at Chu Ning with a puzzled look. Such a young coffin shop owner? "I'm the shop owner. Do you want to buy a coffin?"

"Boss, I see you don't have a coffin. I want to buy a ready-made coffin."

"off the shelf?"

Chu Ning smiled slightly: "I don't have it ready, but if you need it, you can come and get it tomorrow morning."

When the man heard Chu Ning say that he could pick it up tomorrow morning, he was delighted: "Will it be available tomorrow morning?"

"It will be available tomorrow morning." Chu Ning answered affirmatively.

"Okay, then come tomorrow morning. Boss, how much is a coffin?"

"Ten taels."

"Ten taels?"

The man was obviously shocked by the price. Normally a coffin costs only about one or two taels, and ten taels is already very high.

"Boss, is the material used in your coffin special?"

"Just these boards on the wall."

The man glanced at the wooden board against the courtyard wall, and the corners of his mouth twitched. This was the most common pine wood. Such a coffin would not cost even a penny in other coffin shops.

"Shopkeeper, can you give me a discount?"

Chu Ning smiled slightly but said nothing. The man looked a little unhappy. After a few breaths, he said, "Okay, ten taels is ten taels, but I will come over tomorrow morning. If you can't hand over the coffin..."

"Ten times the compensation."

After hearing Chu Ning's words, the man said nothing more, turned around and left.

To be honest, if other coffin shops had not stopped selling coffins this time, he would not have come to this coffin shop. He had also inquired before coming in, and found out that the owner of this coffin shop did not have a very good reputation. When opening the shop, he actually went to ask neighbors if they wanted to buy coffins. The fact that he was not beaten to death was already considered a kindness of the neighbors.

Coming here was his last resort. Under Yang Wei's threat, other coffin shops would not sell coffins at all. But this shopkeeper would sell them for ten taels of silver. I guess he knew about this and took advantage of the situation.

This is also the reason why he did not explain to the shopkeeper. If the other party wanted to take advantage of the situation, then he would give him ten taels of silver. In this way, if Yang Wei retaliated against the other party, he would not feel guilty.

…

"Uncle Chu, your coffin is so expensive."

The boy was very shocked. Chu Ning smiled slightly and said, "It's expensive for a reason. OK, return the lunch box to your sister. This is the first order. Your uncle Chu is also busy."

"Then I won't bother Uncle Chu anymore."

The boy returned with the lunch box. Chu Ning raised his right hand and a wooden board on the wall appeared in front of him. Then he picked up the axe beside him and started to cut the board.

As the axe rose and fell, the shape of the coffin board began to appear. Every time the axe fell, the wood chips from the board fell to the ground like the passing time.

An hour later, the shape of the coffin board appeared, and Chu Ning began to carve the texture extremely carefully. What he was carving in his hands was not only wood, but also his reverence for the passage of time.

The next day, the morning light was dim.

When a ray of morning light fell on the yard of the coffin shop and on the coffin that had just been completed, Chu Ning stared at the coffin in front of him, and an inexplicable emotion surged in his heart.

This is the alternation between life and death.

The morning light represents vitality, but for an old man, this moment represents the end of life, and what accompanies this life and death is time.

Just after Chu Ning's coffin was completed, footsteps were heard at the door of the coffin shop. The man who came yesterday appeared. This time, not only the man came, but also three other strong men.

"Put down the money, and you can carry the coffin and leave."

Chu Ning didn't say much, and the man did the same. He took out a silver note from his pocket and placed it on the stone table. Then several people carried the coffin away.

…

…

That evening, several people walked into the coffin shop with angry faces, but after a few breaths, they walked out of the coffin shop.

In the following months, the coffin shop still had no business, but Chu Ning was not in a hurry and stayed in the yard leisurely every day.

winter!

The first snow fell in Daning County.

The children were happily playing in the snow, and the people were also very happy. The heavy snow meant that the harvest next year would not be bad.

Although a few poor people suffered from the cold due to the heavy snow, no one died in the end.

However, when the heavy snow continued to fall for seven consecutive days, the people of Daning County began to panic.

In Daning County, it has never snowed for so long.

The entire county was covered with snow, and ordinary people could no longer travel. Even the wealthy and powerful could only clear the snow from their homes and doorsteps.

Covered with snow, Daning County fell into a white silence.

A month later, the heavy snow finally stopped. During this heavy snow, hundreds of elderly people died in Daning County. The coffin shops in the county were overcrowded, and many families had to wait in line for several months to make coffins for their elderly family members.

Chu Ning also ushered in his first peak business season.

Coffins were carried out of the shop one after another. The family members of the deceased who came to carry the coffins had red eyes, haggard expressions, and sorrow in their hearts, while others had smiles on their faces and walked briskly...

In the corner of the courtyard wall, wood chips shaved from the wooden boards have piled up into a small hill.

At the end of this year, Daning County no longer had the liveliness it once had.

…

…

As time flies by, the mountains and hills become more and more distant.

Three years passed in a blink of an eye and Wei Ming was already fifteen years old.

Last year at the county school, Wei Ming failed to pass the assessment.

"Uncle Chu, I want to join the army."

Fifteen-year-old Wei Ming no longer had the naivety he had three years ago. He placed the lunch box on the stone table as before.

Now he no longer mentioned the matter of letting Uncle Chu marry his sister. He knew that Uncle Chu really had no feelings for his sister, and both the brother and sister understood this.

But his sister would still ask him to send lunch boxes to Uncle Chu, and he was willing to do so.

"To be a soldier?"

"Well, I don't want to learn martial arts anymore. I want to join the army. I can become an official as a soldier, and I can also learn martial arts as a soldier."

"Soldiers from the Liang Dynasty."

Chu Ning was a little dazed. He seemed to see the figure of the former "Ji Yang" in Wei Ming.

"Will your sister agree?"

"I have already signed up at Bingmasi."

Bingmasi was the conscription department of the Liang Dynasty. Once you signed up at Bingmasi, you couldn't regret it. At least Tofu Xishi didn't have that ability.

"Then go ahead and become a great general in the future." Chu Ning patted Wei Ming's shoulder, walked to the pile of sawdust in the corner and picked up a piece.

"You are going to join the army. Uncle Chu, I don't have anything to give you, so I'll give you a piece of sawdust."

Wei Ming looked helpless, but when he saw Chu Ning's serious expression, he finally accepted it.

"Uncle Chu, don't be so stingy. You might as well bring me a coffin." Wei Ming stepped out of the coffin shop and turned back to say jokingly.

A few days later, Chu Ning was lying on a rattan chair in the yard, looking through the shop door, watching a young man walking past the door with his luggage, followed by a woman with red eyes crying, the tofu beauty Wei Hong.

Wei Ming left, and from then on, the food boxes were delivered personally by Wei Hong.

"I wanted my brother to learn martial arts, but he didn't have enough strength. Zhang Feng said he had a way to get him into the school, but the condition was that I became his woman. My brother was outside and heard what Zhang Feng said."

Zhang Feng is the patrolman in charge of this street. He is in his fifties and has married three wives, but unfortunately they all died young.

Chu Ning didn't reply. Wei Hong looked resentful as she stood up and left silently.

…

…

Half a year later, Wei Ming wrote a letter to his family, telling them about his time in the army.

Chu Ning knew this because Wei Hong told him when she came to deliver the lunch box.

Two years later, the worry was gone from Wei Hong's face, and every time she told Chu Ning the contents of Wei Ming's letter, there was excitement in her eyes.

Wei Ming was very hardworking. After two years in the army, he became a centurion and also a martial arts master.

A martial artist, in Daning County, could at least be a constable, not to mention a martial artist as young as Wei Ming, whose future is limitless.

Zhang Wei doesn’t dare to touch me anymore, and he is always cautious when seeing me.

Every time Wei Hong talked about how great Wei Ming was, Chu Ning would just listen with a smile. In Wei Hong's mind, the captain of the police was already a big shot, and since her brother was so capable, there would definitely be no danger for him.

Just wait for two years until my younger brother comes back, and then I will choose a wife for him.

…

…

"The Zhou family's daughter is okay. The last time I saw her, she was quiet."

"The daughter of the Chen family is not bad either. She is about the same age as Mingming."

Every time Wei Hong delivered food boxes, she would start chatting with Chu Ning about which girl in the city was good and which girl was suitable to be her sister-in-law.

Chu Ning just listened with a smile. Although Wei Hong had aged a lot and had wrinkles on her face, she was obviously more energetic.

"You are such a boring person. I asked you to give me some advice, but you didn't say a word."

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Wei Hong would never talk to Chu Ning like this in the past. Chu Ning was helpless: "What am I saying? I don't even know where the Zhou family is or what the Chen family does. What advice can I give you?"

Phew!

Wei Hong also laughed. Indeed, Chu Ning had never been out of the coffin shop, so how could he make decisions for her?

Sometimes she even thought that if she hadn't brought him food every day, this guy would have starved to death.

Once she went to listen to a storyteller tell a story. The storyteller said that a girl from a wealthy family liked a boy, but the boy's family was poor, so the girl gave food and clothes to the boy.

The boy told the girl that he wanted to make a name for himself, learn martial arts, and marry her in glory in the future. The girl bought medicinal herbs for the boy, and the boy worked hard to achieve his goal, and in the end he actually became a martial artist.

But later she cried, because in the storyteller's story, after the boy became a martial artist, he was noticed by the county magistrate, became his son-in-law, and abandoned the girl.

Wei Hong secretly glanced at Chu Ning. Could this guy be a heartless man?

But then Wei Hong laughed out loud again. How could Chu Ning be an unfaithful man? He didn't even give her a chance to give him her heart.

Watching Wei Hong leave with a snicker, Chu Ning could only mutter: What a weird woman.

…

…

One year later.

Wei Ming is back.

Riding a tall horse and followed by several personal soldiers, the Chief of Police personally went to the city gate to greet him, and the county magistrate hosted a banquet in his honor.

The entire neighborhood was shocked. Only then did they realize how hard Wei Hong's brother worked after joining the army.

However, that night, a fierce quarrel was heard in the yard next to the coffin shop, and Chu Ning, who was lying on the rattan chair, sighed softly.

The next day.

Wei Ming appeared in the coffin shop.

"Uncle Chu."

Chu Ning was still lying on the rattan chair. Wei Ming didn't care. He just smiled and said, "Uncle Chu, I want you to marry my sister. I bought you a big yard and servants."

"No." Chu Ning refused indifferently.

"Uncle Chu!"

Wei Ming's face darkened, and he was about to continue speaking with the aura of a martial artist, when he heard an angry voice behind him.

"Wei Ming!"

Wei Hong walked in, and seeing her sister, Wei Ming turned around and said, "Sister, I'm doing this for your own good."

"No need, I don't have a brother like you. My brother's surname is Wei, not Zhu."

"Sister, I told you, I'm not..."

"Stop talking and go away."

Wei Hong pointed outside the door. Veins on Wei Ming's forehead throbbed. He looked at his sister, then walked out of the coffin shop with a sullen face after a while.

"Sister, take care of yourself. I'll have someone send you money."

"No."

Wei Hong and Wei Ming broke up.

The reason is that Wei Ming was valued by a marquis.

This marquis was a big shot in the Liang Dynasty, and Wei Ming had been able to escape danger many times in the army. The marquis felt that Wei Ming had great luck, so he wanted to adopt Wei Ming as his adopted son and asked Wei Ming to change his surname to Zhu.

The Marquis's adopted son's status was the real reason why the Chief of Police came to welcome him in person and the County Magistrate hosted a banquet.

However, Wei Hong disagreed. Her brother was the only child in the family. If he changed his surname, the family line would be cut off. How could she explain this to her dead parents?

…

…

The neighbors didn't know about the Wei siblings, so they were very enthusiastic and respectful towards Wei Hong.

The smiles on Wei Hong's face became less and less, and she only smiled when she was facing Chu Ning.

Wei Hong is sick.

Because of her heart disease, Wei Hong could no longer run the tofu shop. Fortunately, she had saved money over the years, so she was not starving. As for the money given by Wei Ming, she did not spend a penny.

Neighbors privately discussed that Wei Hong was a person with a miserable life. First, she was unlucky in marriage, and now that her younger brother has finally become successful, her health is failing. She is doomed to fail in life.

"Chu Ning, make me a coffin." Wei Hong suddenly spoke one day.

Chu Ning was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

Wei Hong was speechless. This guy is still like this. He doesn't even know how to say something nice.

…

…

The next day, people from the military department entered the Wei Mansion.

Chu Ning sighed again.

Wei Hong left.

He was already ill, and when he heard the news of his brother's death, he became so angry that he died on the spot.

The people from the Bingmasi arranged a funeral for Wei Hong. The coffin was a nanmu coffin made by the owner of the best coffin shop in the city, and he was buried in a Feng Shui treasured land outside the city.

In the yard, Chu Ning looked at the coffin in front of him, and the texture on the coffin began to change.

"This coffin must be sent out eventually."

…

…

The capital of Liang Dynasty.

The daughter of Marquis Dingbei married his adopted son Zhu Ming, and the news of this marriage spread throughout the capital.

Today is the day of the wedding.

There were thousands of banquet tables in the mansion, and even the current emperor came in person, and all the officials were present.

However, the person sitting at the top table was not the current emperor, but a middle-aged man in a Taoist robe.

Master Immortal.

Looking at the handsome groom, all the officials present were envious.

Zhu Ming is the first person who can invite the immortal master to attend his wedding banquet.

The butler who was in charge of registering the gifts was now chanting loudly the gifts sent by various parties.

"Duke Li sent ten thousand taels of gold."

…

…

"The Imperial Master sent me a bottle of elixir."

Listening to the concierge's singing, the atmosphere reached a climax.

"An old friend from Daning County, I sent you a coffin."

Boom! When the officials at the scene heard this, they exploded instantly.

A coffin is given as a wedding gift. Who is so reckless as to give this gift?

The most important thing is that the housekeeper of the Marquis's Mansion was also stupid. He actually read it out? The emperor looked ugly, the Marquis's face was gloomy, and Wei Ming on the stage was also stunned.

What shocked everyone at the scene even more was that a coffin actually appeared at the door the next moment.

"presumptuous!"

The Emperor of Liang Dynasty was furious and looked at the Immortal Master beside him. He was afraid that the Immortal Master would blame him for this.

The reason he became emperor was entirely because of a word from his immortal master.

The Emperor of the Liang Dynasty and all the civil and military officials turned their eyes to the Immortal Master. At this moment, the Immortal Master was looking at the coffin, and his whole body was shaking.

"It's over. The Immortal Master is angry."

This is what all the civil and military officials are thinking at this moment, and they are afraid that many people will lose their lives.

However, the Immortal Master's next words shocked everyone present.

"Zhu...Zhu Ming, why don't you lie down in the coffin?"

Qiu Ziyi's voice was filled with fear. The warriors present could not feel it, but he could feel the terror contained in this coffin. Just one look at it made him lose his mind. The person who built this coffin was undoubtedly a Nascent Soul expert.

He would attend Zhu Ming's wedding banquet because Zhu Sheng brought Zhu Ming to the National Master's Mansion to pay him a visit, and he sensed that Zhu Ming had a treasure on him.

A piece of sawdust.

The warriors could not feel anything about the sawdust, but as a cultivator, he could feel the terrifying energy contained in it.

He also wondered whether Zhu Ming had picked up this wood chip by luck and whether he could take it for himself. However, when he had this thought in his mind, his entire soul suffered a severe blow and his foundation was almost destroyed.

At that moment he understood that the wood chips were given to Zhu Ming by a senior. This senior was probably a Nascent Soul expert, because he had never heard of such a method before. He was seriously injured just by having evil thoughts. A Golden Core expert might not be able to do it.

After making this guess, Qiu Ziyi did not dare to investigate Zhu Ming's background, as he was afraid of causing dissatisfaction among his seniors.

But no matter why the strong man behind Zhu Ming gave Zhu Ming this treasure, it might just be a one-time encounter. It is always a good idea to make friends with Zhu Ming. If he has the opportunity to meet the senior behind Zhu Ming, perhaps he will have the opportunity to enter the Golden Core Realm.

The coffin in front of him had the same smell as the sawdust, which meant that the strong man behind Zhu Ming wanted Zhu Ming to die.

The scene was completely silent.

"Zhu Ming, hurry up and get into the coffin!"

Qiu Ziyi was a little anxious. If Zhu Ming didn't get into the coffin, and the senior took action personally, he was afraid that he would also be affected.

The atmosphere at the scene was very strange, but Wei Ming suddenly laughed.

I am so ridiculous.

He suddenly understood many things.

Uncle Chu, I’m afraid he is not an ordinary person.

Uncle Chu, like this immortal master, is a cultivator.

It’s ridiculous that I’m not a lucky person at all. It was all because of Uncle Chu that I was able to escape danger at the border.

It’s ridiculous that Master Qiu would think highly of me, and it’s also because of Uncle Chu.

It's ridiculous that I was blinded by wealth and fame, and was obsessed with becoming the adopted son of the Marquis, but I didn't know that Uncle Chu was the real big shot.

It's ridiculous that in order to get his adoptive father to marry his daughter to him, he asked his men to spread false news of his death, which caused his sister to die of illness.

I really deserve to die.

"Uncle Chu, thank you for the coffin."

PS: The plot of enlightenment is the most difficult to write. It will be finished in about one or two chapters. The next will be a magnificent climax (end of this chapter)