Folk customs begin with the entire funeral procession

Chapter 186 Taking on Another Job

As for the three brothers, Shi Manman sent someone to persuade them.

Chen Miao took the windmill and returned to the mourning hall.

When the lights were turned on, Chen Miao saw that the white candles on the seven lamps on one side of the coffin had burned into a pool of wax.

After packing the windmill into a sealed bag, Chen Miao went to put away the lamps.

Then they used grapefruit water to wipe the talismans off the old man's body, put his clothes back on, and put his shoes on.

After glancing at the old man's peaceful face, Chen Miao returned to the offering table and lit incense for him.

After doing all that, Chen Miao waited in the mourning hall for the Li brothers to arrive.

This wait lasted for more than ten minutes.

When they slowly brought the three of them to the mourning hall, their eyes were all red.

Looking at the three of them, Chen Miao said, "The matter is over. As agreed before, there's no need to settle the final payment."

Chen Miao was about to continue speaking when he was interrupted by the eldest son of the Li family.

"Master, we will transfer the remaining payment to you later. Thank you for helping my father fulfill his wish."

Chen Miao shook his head.

"No reward without merit; what was agreed upon beforehand will be done..."

Just as Chen Miao finished speaking, Li Qun's son suddenly ran in.

"Dad, Uncle, Second Uncle, Aunt and the others found a letter in Grandpa's desk. It says where the gold is hidden!"

The three brothers were taken aback, but their faces showed little smile.

"Got it, you go out first."

Li Qun's son didn't understand why his father was unhappy, and left somewhat dejectedly.

After their son left, the three brothers turned to look at Chen Miao.

"Master, you can accept it now."

Chen Miao asked in surprise, "Aren't you going to check it out?"

The eldest son of the Li family shook his head.

“We invited the master here only to get the old man’s last words. We never asked the master to guarantee that the gold was real.”

"If my father was just joking, can we deny the master's contributions?"

Chen Miao nodded, said nothing more, and turned to open the sealing bag.

"There's one more thing, and that's about the windmill."

The three brothers' eyes fell on the windmill, and they couldn't help but think of the old man dancing with the windmill.

My heart ached, and my eyes welled up with tears again.

"I still have to tell you about this windmill."

"Although I don't know why, the old man's obsession is probably attached to this windmill."

Chen Miao's words startled the three brothers, and their sorrowful emotions came to an abrupt halt.

Li Qun looked at Chen Miao and said, "Master, do you mean that my father turned into a windmill?"

Chen Miao shook his head.

"It's not your father, but your father's obsession."

"I can't explain this to you, but there's no doubt that this windmill is no longer ordinary."

"In our line of work, we call this kind of thing... filth!"

The three brothers looked at each other.

"Filth?"

"Yes, a vessel for ghosts and spirits, a vessel for obsessive thoughts."

Chen Miao gave a brief explanation.

“Obsession is neither a soul nor a ghost; it’s quite complicated.”

"I don't know what kind of ability this windmill has right now, whether it's good or bad, I don't know."

"So now I have two choices for you."

"First, this windmill is for you, but you must remember to seal it away, or you can bury it with the old man."

"Second, I will take this windmill with me and leave something for you."

The three brothers were stunned when they heard the two options Chen Miao offered.

The eldest son of the Li family asked, "Master, why should it be sealed away?" "Because if you keep it at home and accidentally trigger it, you will be affected by it."

Hearing this, Li Qun asked, "My father wouldn't hurt us, would he?"

Chen Miao shook his head.

“I’ve already said it, it’s not your father. Why do you think it’s called something unclean instead of a blessed object, a magical artifact, or a divine weapon?”

“Because it’s usually caused by the taint of ghostly obsessions. I originally thought your father’s spirit was just temporarily summoned and nothing else would happen, but I never expected…”

Chen Miao shook his head.

He truly didn't expect this to happen.

The three brothers' expressions changed upon hearing the word "ghostly".

Chen Miao always referred to his father's state as a spirit, and they never considered him a ghost.

But if a soul isn't a ghost, then what is it?
From Chen Miao's words, are ghosts all heartless and ruthless?

If we seal it up or bury it in a grave, will it come out and cause trouble later?
Suddenly, their love for their father clashed with their responsibility to their own family.

The eldest son of the Li family looked at his two brothers, gritted his teeth, and made a decision.

"Master, please take this and make proper arrangements for it."

Hearing their eldest brother say that, the two brothers breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt a pang of self-reproach.

The eldest son of the Li family seemed to sense the feelings of his two brothers and said, "Dad will understand us. After all, we are both fathers."

Seeing that the three had made a decision, Chen Miao used a sealed bag to put the windmill away.

Actually, he brought that black umbrella with him this time, but then he thought it was unnecessary.

Calling back a soul is not the same as catching a ghost.

After putting everything away, Chen Miao took some things out of his bag.

They consist of five peachwood charms and five spirit-suppressing charms.

The peach charms were originally intended for Xie Songde, but Chen Miao didn't have enough, so they had to borrow some for now and make new ones for Xie Songde later.

“Each of you five siblings will receive one of these items. If you encounter anything you can’t understand in the future, they can protect you for a while.”

"Of course, you can also contact me."

After giving some instructions, Chen Miao had Shi slowly hand over the items to the three of them and left them his contact information.

Having already witnessed Chen Miao's abilities, the three naturally knew how precious what they possessed was.

Compared to those bracelets and similar items bought at tourist attractions, this peach charm may not be as exquisite, but it is definitely useful!

"Alright, it's getting late, I have to go."

Hearing that Chen Miao was about to leave, Shi Manman immediately dissuaded him, saying, "Director, it's too late. My uncle's house still has empty rooms. Why don't you leave tomorrow morning?"

In his haste, he forgot to call for the master.

Although Li Qun was puzzled, he still spoke up, "Yes, Master, it's too late, why don't you stay the night?"

Chen Miao thought for a moment and realized there was nowhere to store the bag of cash tonight, so he decided to store it when he left tomorrow morning.

So he nodded.

"Then excuse me."

After Li Qun had his family tidy up the room and let Chen Miao move in, he slowly led Shi to the living room.

"Manman, you just called that master... the curator?"

After thinking it over, Shi realized that since the curator had already left his contact information, there was no need for her to keep it a secret.

"Yes, I work at a funeral home now, and he is our director."

Li Qun nodded in sudden realization.

"That's right. Someone as capable as the master is more than qualified to be the director of a funeral home."

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, Li Qun asked again:
"Manman, could you please help preside over tomorrow's funeral? If you could send the old man off on his final journey, his journey would surely be smoother."

Shi Manman did not directly agree.

"I'll ask around for you tomorrow morning. If everything's alright at the museum, it should be fine."

"Okay, okay! The appearance fee will be paid in full, don't worry."

After Li Qun finished speaking, he turned around and jogged away.

He wanted to tell his older brothers about this!
……

(End of this chapter)