Chapter 49: Go get the cleansing water
When Xie Liang and the others were about to fall asleep, the people inside seemed to have finally finished their work and the entire mourning hall was rearranged.
At six o'clock in the morning, the sky was already bright. Under the instructions of the Yin-Yang Master, everyone was divided into two groups: one group was responsible for going to the back mountain and digging the grave for the old woman according to the diagram drawn by the Feng Shui Master; the other group followed the Yin-Yang Master and obeyed his instructions.
Xie Liang's group of five stayed behind to follow the Yin-Yang Master's instructions. He and Xu He were responsible for fetching the water from the river for the old woman to use for wiping her body, while the other three went to ask the neighbors for the ashes needed for the old woman's coffin.
Xie Liang and Xu He were accompanying the old woman's eldest grandson, Zhao Xi, to the river. The water for cleansing had to be running water, preferably from a river or stream, so they chose to go to a river that was farther away.
There were two other men accompanying them, who looked younger than Zhao Xi. Xie Liang guessed that they must also be close relatives of the deceased, otherwise no one would come to such an occasion to join in the fun.
Zhao Xi was a portly man, but he walked quite skillfully. He led the two men in front, while Xu He and Xie Liang followed behind, carrying the bucket.
After walking for about an hour, they finally reached the village road, which bordered a flat meadow, with the river just below the slope.
Xie Liang took the bucket from Xu He and handed it to Zhao Xi: "Get some water."
Zhao Xi seemed to dislike Xie Liang. He sat down on a rock and said to Xie Liang, "Hurry up and get some water! What are you doing here?"
Xie Liangqian smiled and said, "Uh... Mr. Yin Yang specifically told you to fetch this water, so please quickly fetch it and give it to me. Of course, if you don't mind your grandma coming to see you at night, I can do it for you."
"Damn it, they're all dead, and there's still so much to do." Zhao Xi cursed softly.
A man accompanying him quickly reached out to cover his mouth and whispered, "Brother Xi, the dead are the greatest. Besides, your grandma has always been good to you. Just consider this as your final act of filial piety."
"Go get some water quickly, they are still waiting for the water to cleanse grandma." said another man with dyed yellow hair.
After their persuasion, Zhao Xi moved his fat body and took the bucket from Xie Liang's hand.
After fetching water, the group started to walk back.
When Xie Liang and the others returned, a large altar consisting of three square tables had been set up in the hall. Several members of the bereaved family were gathered around the large brazier in the hall, burning paper money and ghost money.
The other three people who were responsible for going to the neighbors' homes to collect wood ash have returned. According to them, the wood ashes they collected have been spread inside the coffin, and they are just waiting for the bucket of cleansing water.
When Mr. Yin Yang's apprentice saw Xie Liang and the others coming back, he came forward, took the bucket of water from Xu Heti, and walked towards the mourning hall.
After a while, the Yin-Yang master came out of the mourning hall, called the old woman's two daughters-in-law in, and closed the door of the mourning hall.
Xu He pulled Xie Liang to sit on a bench at the side of the Dharma Hall: "Let's take a break."
"Brother He, let's go and take a look." Xie Liang said.
"Sit down for a while."
After sitting on the stool for less than a few minutes, Xie Liang pulled Xu He around to the back window of the mourning hall. Through the window frame, they could see most of the scenes inside the mourning hall.
The Yin-Yang master lifted the red embroidered quilt covering the old woman. The two women inside took a few steps back at the same time, as if they were frightened by the old woman's face.
At the request of the Yin-Yang Master, the two women began to soak a silk scarf in the cleansing water that Xie Liang and his men had brought. Then they wrung out the scarf and wiped the old woman's body. After wiping, they also changed the old woman into several loose funeral clothes.
After doing this, Mr. Yin Yang let the two women go out.
Next, the Yin-Yang master threw a few coins into the old woman's wide-open mouth. He put one hand on the old woman's head and held her chin with the other hand, trying to close her wide-open mouth.
He seemed to have used up all his strength, but the old woman's mouth remained the same as before, like a deep black hole, with no sign of closing.
Mr. Yin Yang and his apprentice tried several more times, but they were unable to close the old woman's wide-open mouth.
"Master, this is so strange. Even if the rigor mortis is so severe, it shouldn't be so severe that you and I can't close her mouth together!" said the Yin Yang Master's apprentice.
The Yin-Yang Master did not answer him, but took out a tortoise shell to perform divination. After reading the hexagram, his expression darkened, and he hurriedly led his apprentice out.
After they left, the white lanterns hanging in the mourning hall swayed in the wind. Xie Liang didn't know if it was his imagination, but he felt that the old woman's mouth opened even wider than before.
Not long after, Mr. Yin Yang and his apprentice came back, followed by two descenders, the man was named Wu Xiaofeng and the woman was named Zhang Guifang.
The Yin-Yang master cracked a raw egg into the old woman's dark mouth, and then asked the two men to carry the body into the coffin.
Just as the two men were carrying the body towards the coffin, Mr. Yin Yang's eyes suddenly became fierce.
Mr. Yin Yang walked straight to the altar, extinguished the three soul-calling incense sticks on the table, pulled his apprentice and walked out quickly, and seemed to have locked the door of the mourning hall from the outside.
"What are they doing?" Xie Liang asked Xu He.
Xu He said nothing, put his arm around his shoulders, and led him out the back window.
Around nine o'clock in the morning, the old woman's relatives and friends came to pay their respects, bringing incense, paper and candles.
Xie Liang and a descendant named Wang Tieshu gathered around the brazier, burning paper money brought by mourners. Around midnight, the number of mourners gradually decreased.
"Why haven't those two come out yet? How long will it take to carry the body into the coffin?" Wang Tieshu muttered to Xie Liang while burning paper money.
Xie Liang also found it strange, and the red-painted door of the mourning hall was still closed. After burning another dozen pieces of paper money, he pulled Xu He to a deserted corner.
"Brother He, you——"
“They won’t survive.”
Xie Liang didn't say anything and looked at Xu He in confusion.
Xu He explained: "She died of starvation. She wouldn't leave unless she was full."
"So those two people are dead?" Xie Liang asked.
"Xiaoliang, this is unavoidable."
"You knew they were going to die, so you dragged me away from there."
In Xu He's sight, Xie Liang lowered his head as if he was blaming him.
He hurriedly pulled Xie Liang into his arms: "I'm sorry."
Xie Liang did not refuse Xu He's embrace.
Xie Liang said sullenly, "I think the scene that followed would definitely not be pretty, so you pulled me away, but next time I still want to know what will happen."
"Yeah, I see."
Xie Liang felt Xu He hugging him tighter.
When the two returned, the door of the mourning hall was already open.
The simple wooden bed on which the old woman's body was placed in the mourning hall has been moved away, and it seems that the old woman has been placed in the coffin.
The mat in front of the coffin was kneeling with the old woman's closest relatives, who were mourning. Among them, a few people headed by Zhao Batian were crying and wailing, looking heartbroken.
Xie Liang didn't feel at all how sad those people were, it seemed more like they were pretending.
Several funeral musicians hired by the bereaved family were already playing suonas and beating gongs and drums in the hall outside the mourning hall. The music was so loud that people had to lean in and shout to hear each other.
Under the direction of the Yin-Yang Master, a high platform had been built in the Dharma Hall, and various offerings were placed on it. He wore a Taoist robe and walked in the Seven Star Steps, chanting continuously. After the chanting, he took out a copy of the Great Compassion Mantra and recited it loudly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
