Chapter 63 Accidentally Discovering "Phoenix Guidance"
After that, I took the compass and laptop and followed his car eastward.
It was less than three miles to his house.
It turns out not far.
There was no sign of a funeral going on at his home. A few people were milling about, and the place was deserted. The man got out of the car and talked to the man in charge. The man nodded.
The man said he would take me to see the burial place.
I said, "Come on up. My SUV is better."
In the car, the man introduced himself as Shao Youxiang. He usually worked on construction projects outside and was rarely home. He only came back after his cousin got into trouble.
"Oh, then I'll call you Mr. Shao."
"What's the boss Luo? He's just trying to make a living."
After leaving the national highway, he directed me to turn left and right, and after driving two or three miles, he pointed to a hill:
"This is the ancestral grave of our Shao family."
We both started to climb the slope. It was quite steep. He walked ahead, occasionally reaching out to pull me up.
I said, "Your cousin is such a high-ranking official, but he doesn't believe in feng shui and doesn't even build a single road."
He said angrily: "He is only focused on being an official and never cares about family affairs."
After finally climbing up the slope, I stood on it, looked back at the way I had come, and said:
"We have to get someone to fix the road this afternoon, otherwise how are we going to lift it up?"
He said righteously, "I'll get the bulldozer."
Then she complained to me, "My cousin was arrested, and my cousin's wife is from a big city, so her return is like having another guest. My nephew is even more ignorant. When grandma died, he didn't even cry, he just sat there, and we still need someone to take care of him."
I sighed and said, "It's a good thing that the old lady has such a good nephew like you."
He pointed ahead and said, "We've arrived."
I stood there and looked around. It was indeed a "Dragon-Shaped Dog Land," resembling a dragon, with a head in front and a tail in the back. Unfortunately, the mountain range on the right, which curved back from the hilltop, had been cut off at some point, leaving the entire mountain range in the shape of the Chinese character "犬."
I asked, "Why is part of the mountain range here being dug away?"
He replied, "In the 1970s, soil was taken from here to reclaim land for farming."
Then he asked me cautiously: "Did you take the wrong one?"
I shook my head and said it was okay, I was just asking. I didn't tell him that once the right meridian was cut off, according to Feng Shui, this place would be a wasteland.
As I was hesitating, I suddenly saw a big bird flapping its wings and flying towards me from a distance.
The bird flew closer and closer, circled over our heads, then fluttered towards the opposite hilltop and landed on a big tree.
I was stunned—in feng shui, this is called "Phoenix Leading the Way." In other words, the bird came to announce and guide the way. The ideal burial site was beneath that tree.
Shao Youxiang didn't understand this, and seeing me in a daze, he asked:
"Is it not frightening you? There weren't birds this big in the mountains before. Now we don't have to burn firewood, and the mountains are full of wild animals."
I asked, "Whose house is on the opposite hill?"
He blurted out: "The village chief's."
"Mr. Shao, let me tell you the truth. Your family's ancestral grave was originally a good site, but unfortunately the mountain range on the right was cut off, turning it into a wasteland. The best site for a grave is under the tree on the opposite hill where the bird landed."
He looked confused: "You can see clearly from such a distance?"
I talked about the origin of Phoenix Leading the Way.
His face was full of hope, yet vaguely uneasy.
He asked, “Do you want to go and see it in person?”
I said it wasn't necessary and told him, "For such a rare opportunity, you don't really need to see it in person. If you can arrange it well, you can just use a compass to determine the direction."
He was quite responsive, understanding the meaning of my words, and asked, "If the adjustment doesn't go well, then this ancestral grave site can't be used for burial?"
I nodded: "If the transfer is not good, we can only choose another place."
Shao Youxiang thought for a moment and said, "Well, time is running out, so let's prepare for both scenarios. If you can be transferred, come back here this afternoon. If not, please choose a place in my Caitu Mountain."
After turning back, I first went to see the Shao family’s vegetable garden.
It was a small hill, open in front but steep behind, with a pond beneath. According to feng shui, if there were no hill behind and a puddle, there would be no support if you fell. If you were careful about the location, it wouldn't be a good one. If you weren't, the earth would be just a place where people would be buried.
I turned on the computer, called up the constellations and looked at the topographic map. There were two small stars shining directly on the pond. 15 degrees to the left didn't work, and 15 degrees to the right didn't work either.
I felt a little helpless and said again: "The best place is where the bird lands."
Shao Youxiang discussed with me, "How about this? You go back first, and I'll talk to the village chief. If it doesn't work out, we can just book it here. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."
I nodded and said, "Please write down my phone number. I can come over myself."
Shao Youxiang said with gratitude: "You are so kind and you work hard."
…
During dinner, Shao Youxiang called and said, "Master Wan, forget about ordering the dishes. If my cousin were still in office, he would have said it was okay even if the village chief went to get a piece of skylight. Now, it really lives up to the saying, 'When people leave, the tea gets cold, and talking too much only brings tears.'"
I comforted him: "Although I am in this line of work and pay attention to Feng Shui, this thing exists if you believe in it, and does not exist if you don't believe in it. Green mountains everywhere are good places.
I came back and thought about it carefully, and came up with a second plan: you use a bulldozer to build up the slope behind me."
"Thank you so much. I'll be working on it all night."
The next morning, I drove to Shao's house. There were more people on the grounds. Shao Youxiang was already there waiting for me.
We walked to the back of the house. Sure enough, there was a small hillock-like mound rising from the vegetable patch.
I checked the map and saw a few curious people squatting around me as I moved the mouse. They exclaimed, "Zhang family, Li family. How come they are so clear? When did you take the photo?"
Shao Youxiang came over and asked, "Is it okay?"
I put away my computer and used a compass to determine my position. He instructed, "Try to dig shallower, not too deep. This is low ground."
Shao Youxiang said with a look of loyalty: "Thank you so much, Master Wan. You must come to the burial tomorrow."
The burial took place at 10:18 AM on the third day. Filial sons and daughters knelt before the grave, firecrackers blasted, and mournful cries filled the air. I chanted a few words. The coffin was lowered, the earth shoveled, and the old lady was finally laid to rest.
The sky was clear at this time, and suddenly a dark cloud passed by the opposite mountain and then drifted away to the west.
I called Shao Youxiang aside and asked, "You didn't talk much with the village chief, did you?"
"No. I just wanted to change the soil."
"Oh——" I hesitated to speak.
Shao Youxiang was a smart man and immediately said, "I'll come visit you when I'm done. You must have lunch before you leave. We call it a thank you here, which means thank you."
I waved my hand. "I appreciate the kindness, but I won't eat. Master isn't home, so Youranju has been deserted for the past few days. Whether there's business or not is another matter. It's always closed, so people think it's closed."
Shao Youxiang hesitated for a long time: "Well... okay... I understand."
After saying that, he gave me a red envelope and thanked me for my hard work.
The red envelope was a bit thick. I didn't refuse it, as sometimes refusing something can be a sign of disdain.
Driving home, I was puzzled. I'd already given the red envelope, so why did Shao Youxiang say he'd come all the way to thank me?
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