I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 151 Business Transactions

When land is idle, weeds grow; when people are idle, troubles arise.

When ghosts are idle, they are more likely to cause trouble.

For example, a porter carrying a load might be walking along peacefully when suddenly he trips and falls, hitting his head and bleeding profusely.

Others thought the porter had accidentally fallen, but a sharp-eyed child nearby said that a ghost was lying on the ground and deliberately reached out to grab the person's leg when they came by, causing them to trip.

The phrase "ghost pulling legs" and "ghost tugging feet" perfectly describes this kind of mischievous ghost.

Seeing the embroiderer talking to the flowers and plants, Xu Qing felt that she couldn't let this ghost be idle any longer and had to find her something to do.

Coincidentally, the owner of the funeral clothing shop, Mr. Yao, was determined to leave, and the exact date was probably in the next two months. If Mr. Yao was lucky enough to sell the shop in advance, perhaps the dragon on Jingxia Street would lose a claw the very next day.

Without the funeral clothing shop, it wouldn't be as convenient for Xu Qing to handle all the business of his shop on one street.

At that time, he would have to travel back and forth to find the next funeral clothing shop.

If I can't find it, I'll probably have to go to a secondhand clothing store or a tailor shop to order one.

Thinking of this, Xu Qing felt a sense of crisis.

His livelihood depended on the funeral business, and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

It's better to rely on yourself than on others. Since Manager Yao can't be relied on, why doesn't he take charge of the funeral business himself?

It's just a funeral garment. Other families can't find a tailor, but he has one ready-made. The key is that it's fully automatic and powered by ghost energy, which is healthy and environmentally friendly. Even in the entire textile industry of Dayong, it is far ahead.

At this time, the embroiderer was unaware of Xu Qing's plans. Upon hearing that she was going to make funeral clothes, she was overjoyed.

She might not be good at other things, but she's great at making clothes!

The embroiderer's grandparents were tailors, and her father was also a tailor. In a sense, they could be called a family of tailors.

What style of funeral shroud do you want?

The embroiderer reached out and the measuring tape from the sewing basket fell into her hand.

"."

Sometimes Xu Qing really wanted to crack open the female ghost's skull to see what was inside that little head of hers.

Where would you find a young man in his twenties making funeral clothes?

Seeing the expectant look in the embroiderer's eyes, Xu Qing didn't know what to say to her.

She looked as if she couldn't wait for him to die and become a ghost so he could come down and keep her company.

She wasn't this excited when she was wearing a blue collar and white robe back then.

However, Xu Qing thought again that he probably wasn't a living person to begin with.

Therefore, it seems that it was in accordance with the Zhou Dynasty's rites for the embroiderer to tailor a burial garment for him.

How about we make one?
Xu Qing was tempted.

Funeral clothes and pajamas seem to be not much different. If we make a set of pajamas, wouldn't it be perfect for him to change into when he lies in the coffin in seclusion or resting?
Funeral clothes and a coffin, how authentic!

Xu Qing's expression kept changing, making the embroiderer feel uneasy, afraid that she had done or said something wrong.

Fortunately, the next moment she heard Xu Qing say, "Then cut one, let me see your craftsmanship."

The embroiderer held the measuring tape in both hands. When she heard Xu Qing's reply, her eyebrows curved into a smile, and the joy in her heart was written all over her face.

A genius is bound to be useful, and the embroiderer is truly happy to have put her skills to use today.

At the window, a slight breeze rustled through the spider lilies, while the piercingly white sunlight, devoid of any warmth, shone into the weaving room, where dust floated in the air.

Xu Qing stood at the intersection of the sunlight outside the window and the shadows inside the room. The embroiderer's nimble hands swept across the measuring tape and began to measure his head circumference and foot length.

The embroiderer had previously made a blue-collared white shirt for Xu Qing and knew his size.

However, the funeral clothes also come with a funeral crown and shoes, which she needs to measure again.

There were ready-made fabrics in the weaving room, enough for the embroiderer to make a complete set of funeral clothes. However, Xu Qing still specifically reminded her of some taboos, since funeral clothes are different from ordinary clothes and require careful tailoring.

Weddings and funerals are major life events.

The intricacies of funeral garments, shoes, crowns, socks, pillows, and quilts cannot be explained in a few words, so Xu Qing only spoke to the embroiderer about the important ones.

"Funeral garments must be woven from cotton thread, not silk."

"Why can't we use silk? Silk is so nice, and our family isn't short of money."

Xu Qing looked at the embroiderer expressionlessly, then shrank back and obediently stopped interrupting.

“Because cotton and silk have the meaning of lingering affection, symbolizing the living’s longing for the deceased. As for fur and silk,” Xu Qing recalled the details in the funeral book, “these two things have bad connotations. If you wrap yourself in fur, you may be reborn as livestock in the next life. If you use silk, you may be afraid of having no descendants.”

"These things are nothing in themselves, it's just that everyone wants good fortune, and funerals can also be considered joyous occasions."

Having transcended mere skill to attain enlightenment, Xu Qing's understanding of funeral rites has surpassed the mundane.

Seeing Xu Qing's familiarity with the funeral arrangements, the embroiderer knew that her master truly enjoyed attending funerals.

Funeral garments are mostly dark-colored, with men wearing apricot yellow or black, while women's outer garments are mostly cyan or bronze.

Furthermore, the worst thing a funeral garment can be is one that is barely covering the body, because only beggars would wear such clothes.

Therefore, the sleeves and trouser legs must be long enough to completely cover the deceased's hands and feet; only then can it be considered a proper burial garment.

Therefore, it is strange and terrifying to see a living person walking around in a shroud. This is related to the purpose of the shroud and its special design.

Imagine someone walking by wearing a bulky funeral shroud with sleeves that go past their hands and trouser legs dangling. Who wouldn't be scared?
The reason why burial shrouds are generally bulky is because the deceased wears not just one shroud, but many, so that they have enough clothes to change into in the underworld.

These burial clothes are put on the deceased before the funeral. The number of clothes is usually odd, and the difference between the upper and lower garments is two, such as seven upper garments and five lower garments, or nine upper garments and seven lower garments. The maximum is eleven upper garments and nine lower garments, that is, eleven upper garments and nine lower garments.

The female corpse could also have a skirt instead of pants.

If someone dies young, before the age of fifty, they can generally only wear three burial garments. The older the deceased is, the more garments they can wear, symbolizing good fortune and longevity.

After learning how to make funeral clothes, the embroiderer began weaving silk and cutting cloth to prepare samples for Xu Qing to evaluate and try on.

Xu Qing then carried a hoe alone and began digging a pit to bury the person.

In this auspiciously located house, men till the fields and women weave, finding endless joy in their simple life.

After burying the body, Xu Qing calmed himself down and began to breathe in the moonlight and yin energy in the courtyard. When dawn broke, he climbed over the courtyard wall and strolled leisurely toward Flower and Bird Street.

However, he had not gone far from the courtyard when a female ghost carrying clothes chased after him.

"Wait a minute, sir! The clothes!"

Xu Qing turned around and saw the embroiderer holding a burial garment and crown in her hands, with a pair of burial shoes embroidered with golden lotus patterns next to the crown.

Xu Qing was familiar with these funeral items. The burial clothes in front of him were all in the traditional style, with cloud-shaped pillows and crowns for the deceased, and lotus-embroidered shoes for the feet.

There is a saying: "Stepping on lotus flowers, one ascends to the Western Paradise."

It refers to lotus-shaped foot pillows and lotus-shaped shoes.

"Sir, please try it on. If it fits, I'll make a few more sets tomorrow." The embroiderer, who had been busy all night, did not feel tired at all, nor did she think there was anything inappropriate about making someone wear funeral clothes.

Xu Qing looked at the exquisite workmanship and muttered to himself.

It's a real shame that this female ghost isn't using a loom.

Wearing a dark-colored burial robe embroidered with the traditional "Five Bats Holding a Longevity Character" pattern, which consists of five dark gold bats holding a round longevity character.

In addition to the burial clothes, the burial crown also features the auspicious bat motif symbolizing eternal prosperity.

As the embroiderer helped Xu Qing dress in his burial clothes, she became somewhat mesmerized.

For some reason, she felt that her husband, dressed in his burial clothes, was more captivating than usual, especially his deathly appearance, as if he had just crawled out of his coffin. If he were to go to a mass grave, he would surely charm a whole host of female ghosts.

After receiving the sample of the funeral clothes, Xu Qing had already made up her mind.

The burial garment he wore was clearly meticulously tailored, but the embroiderer finished it in just one day and one night.

If it were ordinary funeral clothes, it would be easy to make at least two or three a day, if not ten or more.

The coffin shop doesn't usually have that many customers. If one person comes to buy funeral clothes every two days, it's considered a booming business. One funeral garment a day is enough.

Having made up her mind, Xu Qing looked at the embroiderer and asked, "Manager Yao of the funeral clothing shop no longer plans to do funeral clothing business, but my shop can't be without someone making funeral clothing."

The embroiderer was taken aback upon hearing this, but then she was overjoyed.

“I am so grateful that you are willing to find something for me to do, how could I not be happy?”

After finalizing the matter of the funeral clothes, Xu Qing, to prevent Manager Yao from selling the funeral clothes shop, went back to Jingxia Street to discuss the matter of taking over the shop with Manager Yao.

However, he didn't say that he wanted to buy it himself. Instead, he brought up the two brothers, Guan Dazhuang and Sun Erzhuang, saying that someone from Guanmen Village wanted to buy the shop. If you agree, I will have them come over to sign the contract.

Manager Yao held Xu Qing's hand and said sincerely, "Manager Xu, if this matter can really be accomplished, you will be my benefactor!"

Xu Qing understood why Manager Yao was so agitated.

Jingxia Street is a notorious funeral street; anyone with a modicum of common sense would not choose to do legitimate business on this land.

It's worth noting that many pedestrians would deliberately avoid walking along Jingxia Street, simply because they felt the street was unlucky and wanted to avoid it.

In places like this with sparse foot traffic, it's not easy to sell a shop normally.

If it's resold through a brokerage firm, the price will be reduced by at least half.

"Manager Yao, please don't thank me yet. I have something else to tell you. The reason why Boss Sun wants to buy this shop is to take over the funeral clothing business."

"If Manager Yao wants to sell this shop, all the items used to store funeral clothes and shoes in the shop must also be sold together."

“That’s no problem. As long as he’s willing to buy it, everything in the store will be his.”

Shopkeeper Yao was secretly delighted. It was rare for someone to take over his business. As for whether the other party would regret it later, that was none of his business.

Flower and Bird Street.

After finishing his business, Xu Qing once again came to this sacred place in Xuan Yu's heart.

Playing with the birds and the little animals at Mama's stall, I strolled along until I arrived at Master Feng's residence.

As soon as Xu Qing entered, he saw the young master of the Tai'an Escort Agency.

Xie Yunyan, whose arms were wrapped in bamboo strips, was directing his镖行 (escort agency) brothers to unload goods into the courtyard.

Even through the shelves holding the goods, Xu Qing could smell the burial money inside.

"Brother Xu, you've come at just the right time! I have some excellent news to tell you!"

When Master Feng saw Xu Qing, the frustration he had been feeling for days eased considerably.

In front of everyone, the lid of a box was opened, revealing that it was filled with straw for protection.

Master Feng lifted the earthenware jar placed in the middle, which was filled with high-quality buried coins.

Next came the second box, then the third box.
The unique aura of the Wuzhu coins, horseshoe-shaped gold, and hoof-shaped gold almost made Xu Qing lose control.

He was already at the critical juncture where the silver-armored corpse was breaking through to the golden-armored corpse, and these dark metal objects in front of him had already stirred the evolutionary desires in the zombie's nature.

"So, Brother Xu, are you satisfied?"

Xu Qing nodded and said, "Very satisfied, Second Master, thank you for your trouble."

Suddenly, Xie Yunyan, whose arm was broken, stepped forward, raised his eyebrows, and asked, "Is this your cargo?"

Before Xu Qing could answer, Xie Yunyan raised his uninjured arm and made a rather comical cupped-hand salute, saying, "I am Xie Yunyan, the owner of Tai'an Escort Agency. This time, the goods were escorted all the way by my agency, and now they have been returned intact."

"If you have any more goods to transport in the future, you can ask my escort agency to handle them. My family has been around for hundreds of years, so you can rest assured."

"."

Xu Qing couldn't help but find Xie Yunyan's shameless self-promotion amusing.

If the Tianjin gang had remained in good health, it's hard to say who would have these seized goods now.

It certainly wouldn't be in the hands of the Tai'an Escort Agency.

Looking at Xie Yunyan's injured arm, Xu Qing's heart stirred, and he asked, "Brother, what about your arm?"

"Oh, it's a minor issue. I had a little spat with the Jinmen Gang the night before last. Now that the gang leader, Hong Baoya, has been executed, your goods were seized by them a few days ago. When I heard about this, I led my escort team to retrieve the goods overnight."

"If you need to escort goods in the future, you might as well come to our escort agency. Of course, you can also introduce your friends. Whether it is the price or the ability to protect the goods, our Tai'an Escort Agency will satisfy you."

"Of course, I will definitely choose Tai'an Escort Agency if I have the chance." Xu Qing said politely, and then went back on his word, "The service in my shop is also quite attentive, and the prices are just as reasonable. If you ever come to patronize my business, young master, I will make sure you are satisfied."

"No problem, no problem," Xie Yunyan said with a smile.

The young man in front of them was a major client. If a long-term cooperation could be established, it would definitely be a good thing for the escort agency.

Beside him, Master Feng coughed twice, but it didn't stop Xie Yunyan from speaking.

After Xu Qing left with the convoy, Xie Yunyan suddenly asked, "Second Master, what kind of business does this Mr. Xu do?"

Master Feng rolled his eyes and said, "Making a living off the dead! Speaking of your镖行's镖师 (bodyguards/escorts), it was Brother Xu who performed a free funeral rite for them because of me."

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(End of this chapter)