September 15th is the best day for burial. Chen Huaixiu chose this day to let her late husband rest in peace.

It was a gloomy day, and Sansha Island was covered in white.

Amid the mournful sound of suona, the long funeral procession stretched from Haisha Town all the way to Majiadun, stretching for several miles.

Leading the team were eight red flags, four dragon-headed bronze gongs, four red umbrellas for sunshades, four green fans, as well as golden axe-axes, sky-stepping pedals, crane-boy tiger judges, and two fierce-looking ghosts wearing helmets and armor to lead the way.

Behind them was a band playing music, and behind them were two elders carrying soul-guiding banners, and eight hall masters holding mourning sticks. Behind them was the leader of the Chen clan, who was supported by Hu Niu and a woman.

Chen Huaixiu was in mourning and weeping. Behind him were sixteen dark-skinned strong men, carrying a large nanmu coffin.

Later on, there came the guests who came to the funeral, the side branches of the Shen family, as well as the gang members and family members who came holding paper people, paper horses, soul offerings, and mountains of gold and silver.

Zhao Hao and Jin Xueceng were both wearing white official mourning robes... that is, they replaced the round-collar official robes with robes made of white silk. The rest of the black gauze hats, leather belts, and black boots did not need to be changed.

Amid the sound of mournful music, Zhao Hao looked at the endless team and sighed, "This Sand Boat Gang is really big."

"Yes, that's because the people from the other two towns are waiting in Majiadun." Jin Xuezeng agreed and said, "Now there are more than 70,000 people in the county, and they account for more than half."

"So you're hoping they'll move away?" Zhao Hao curled his lips. "Officials only exist when there are people. If the people move away, you'll be the county magistrate without any officials."

"That's just a broken jar." Jin Xuezeng said with a wry smile: "Master is here, of course we have to leave everything behind."

"This time, Gang Leader Chen has made up his mind." Zhao Hao's eyes fell on the nanmu coffin. Recalling the strange scene that night, he couldn't help but shudder and said, "Letting Gang Leader Shen be buried at this time is to let the whole gang know that she has decided to stay."

"Yeah." Jin Xuezeng nodded and said, "This woman is not simple."

"Nonsense." Zhao Hao rolled his eyes at him and stopped talking.

~~

Chongming Island is formed by silt deposits, so naturally there are no mountains or rocks. Majiadun is the only highland in Sansha.

It is actually a slightly raised mound of earth.

The Shen family’s ancestral tomb is here.

The auspicious pit had already been dug, and it was a large pit about ten feet deep.

The interior was built with stone slabs, and all the burial items were placed there.

This is the most solemn tomb on the island.

"The auspicious time has arrived. Let's see the leader off on his journey!" Elder Niu, who served as the deacon, mooed.

Elder Ma slaughtered a black dog on the spot, poured the warm black dog blood into a bowl, and sprinkled it around the tomb. The intention was to exorcise evil spirits so that the souls resting here would not be disturbed by wild gods and ghosts.

The person who sprinkled the dog blood must be a male relative of the deceased. Originally, it was Xiao Teng's task, but he was still sick and could not stand the torture. Elder Ma sprinkled the dog blood for him.

When the last drop of dog blood spilled onto the ground, he threw the large porcelain bowl heavily onto the coffin lid, breaking it into pieces.

With a click, Elder Niu sang loudly again:

"Goodbye, Gang Leader!"

The voice was low and sad. Nearly a thousand members of the Shen family, who were dressed in mourning, and all the gang members knelt down in unison like wheat swept by a spring breeze.

The black men carrying the coffin slowly lifted it up.

Chen Huaixiu rushed over, hugged the coffin and burst into tears. He was carried away by Huniu and the lady.

"Bow!"

The gang members all put their foreheads on the ground, as if white flowers were blooming on the plain, swaying in the autumn wind.

"Two bows!"

The coffin landed steadily in the tomb. The evil wind blew again, causing pain on Mr. Zhao's face, and he quickly lowered his head.

“Three bows!”

The sound of the wind, the crying, the sound of flags and pennants blown by the wind, and the unstoppable sound of suona, made the desolate and sad atmosphere spread across the entire wilderness.

~~

After the funeral, everyone returned to Haisha Town and drank some wine to cleanse the evil. The sun had already set.

Zhao Hao and Jin Xuezeng returned to the guest room arranged by the Shachuan Gang, and Jiang Xueying was also there.

She followed them to Sansha, but as a girl she did not go to the funeral, so she waited in the town.

After the two men changed out of their mourning clothes and washed up, Xiaohu came to invite the guests to have dinner at Boss Shen's house.

The three followed Xiaohu to the house where Zhao Hao and Li Shizhen had received medical treatment last time.

Boss Chen also changed out of his heavy mourning clothes and returned to his plain white dress. He first bowed to the three distinguished guests, apologized for the misfortune, and then thanked Zhao Hao again.

"Sister Gang Leader, you are too polite." Young Master Zhao was wearing a royal blue silk robe and a Tang Dynasty scarf with soft wings, and he looked extremely wealthy and leisurely.

"By the way, is little brother feeling better?"

"Thank you for your concern, little Teng is getting better. He hasn't cried for the past few days and his face looks much better." Chen Huaixiu was very grateful and said, "Your kindness is as deep as the sea. Huaixiu will never be able to repay you."

"No need to say thank you anymore." Young Master Zhao opened his folding fan with a swish, on which were written seven elegant characters: 'Helping others is the basis of happiness'.

"Let's eat quickly. We're starving."

The corner of Chen Huaixiu's mouth twitched, obviously he was not used to Mr. Zhao's eccentric style.

She quickly invited Zhao Hao and the other two to take their seats, and did not call the second elder, Niu Ma, either, and stayed alone to entertain the guests.

It was obvious that he wanted to test Zhao Hao and the county's attitude first.

One of the two women at the table was a minor, so she did not drink any alcohol and finished her dinner quickly.

After Hu Niu cleared the bowls and replaced the teacups, Chen Huaixiu took the initiative to ask, "I wonder if there is anything that requires cooperation from the Haisha Gang? Please give me your instructions, young master."

Zhao Hao and Jin Xuezeng looked at each other and thought that this woman was really fit to be a gang leader. Even in such a passive and weak situation, she refused to show any weakness.

But Mr. Zhao never liked to argue in negotiations. He took a sip of tea and said with a smile:

"I am famous for being busy with nothing. What business could I have? Please let the magistrate tell me."

"Master, you are joking." Jin Xuezeng immediately agreed, "I am hoping that this broken county will be evacuated as soon as possible so that I can throw away my official hat and go back to study with you."

Seeing that the two people's words were more harsh than each other, Chen Huaixiu knew that his caution made the other party unhappy.

She sighed, stood up and apologized, then changed her words: "The Haisha Gang has reached a point where there is no way out. Please, young master and my parents, point out a way forward."

Jiang Xue felt peaceful and calm, but secretly smiled in her heart. It's all your fault, big brother, for pretending to be young all the time. How can I not give it a try and see if I can get some initiative?

"That's the right attitude." Young Master Zhao smiled and waved his folding fan gently, saying, "If Sister Gang Leader wants to ask that, then I'll just say it casually, and you just listen to it."

"Please speak, sir." Chen Huaixiu hurriedly pretended to listen attentively.

"I have been to Chongming Sandbar for a few days and have consulted some professionals." Mr. Zhao said shamelessly: "I have basically figured out the cause of the collapse of Chongming Sandbar, and I have a general idea of ​​how to save it."

In fact, he just accompanied his girlfriend to the sandbar to watch the birds. As for professionals... Is there anyone in the world more professional than Mr. Zhao? ?

"To put it bluntly, the tide is so fierce that the sandbar can't withstand it, so it keeps losing money. So there's nothing much to say. We just need to build a seawall and a dam facing the sea to prevent the sandbar from collapsing!"

ps. The third update. It’s too late, I’m going to sleep…