Folk customs begin with the entire funeral procession

Chapter 187 Filth and the Windmill (Two Chapters Combined)

Chen Miao was naturally unaware that his good apprentice had taken on another task for him.

Although it was already past midnight, he was still awake.

Chen Miao originally planned to examine the windmill that resembled filth, but since they were in someone else's house, he felt he should restrain himself.

Otherwise, if something goes wrong, we'll be in a real mess.

Once we get back, the funeral home will be less crowded at night, so we can look into that.

Chen Miao took out the book and glanced at its contents.

There has been no change.

This incident is not included in the book, which Chen Miao finds somewhat regrettable.

Recalling everything that happened tonight, Chen Miao murmured:
Why did the old man eventually turn into something foul?

Chen Miao thought about it for a long time, but still couldn't figure out the logic behind it.

Helpless, I could only go to bed.

As for the Extreme Yin Body Refining Technique, I won't practice it tonight. If I do, I'll definitely be covered in sweat the next morning, which will be inconvenient when I'm washing up at someone else's house.

……

Silent all night.

At five o'clock in the morning, Chen Miao was woken up by his usual alarm.

After getting up, he realized that he didn't need to practice body training today.

Shaking his head, Chen Miao didn't go back to sleep.

After tidying up his things, Chen Miao took out his phone and started watching short videos in his room.

It's really impolite to leave without saying goodbye.

Chen Miao planned to say goodbye around six or seven o'clock before leaving.

As he was scrolling through the page, Chen Miao suddenly came across a live stream. He was about to scroll away when the streamer's name made him pause.

【The Underworld Messenger at Jiuhua】

Chen Miao remembered hearing this name in the group chat; it was his classmate Yang Jiuhua's live stream account. He clicked on it to take a look.

Sure enough, he did follow it, but he never actually looked at it.

Since he had nothing else to do, Chen Miao picked up his phone and started looking at it.

There are two live stream feeds, one large and one small.

The larger one is the front-facing camera, capturing the scene in front of Yang Jiuhua, while the smaller one is the selfie angle, showing Yang Jiuhua's entire face on the screen.

Judging from the current situation, Yang Jiuhua seems to be coming out of some abandoned building.

Just then, Yang Jiuhua's weary voice rang out.

"Brothers...breathe~"

"I slept all night and my back is so stiff, but there's nothing there!"

"Who said this place was haunted yesterday? The streamer has already checked it out for you, it's fake. For those of you who have nowhere to go when you're homeless, this unfinished building is a good place to live."

"After a little tidying up, settling down shouldn't be a problem. You can see the address in the video after I edit it."

Hearing Yang Jiuhua's voice, Chen Miao thought for a moment and sent a message using his own account.

"Oh, Dahai: The streamer still needs to be careful. Some things are better believed than not."

After Chen Miao posted his message, it was watched by hundreds of people in the live stream.

"You can have both fruit and pear: @Dahai, bro, why don't you check out the streamer's profile? Aren't those hundred-plus videos convincing enough?"

"Flying Fish Ink White: He's obviously a newbie."

"Netizen A: Hey streamer, someone told you to watch out!"

Yang Jiuhua also saw the comments and said with a smile, "Brother Dahai, did you see the streamer's name?"

"The Yin Messenger of Jiuhua!"

"If such a thing really existed, even the livestreamer would have to kneel before it."

"If that thing didn't exist, what would the streamer have to be afraid of? You agree, right?"

"Okay, brothers, give this a like. If we get over 100,000 likes, the streamer will go and clean the shrine on the first floor that we saw last night."

Chen Miao shook his head at Yang Jiuhua's arrogant tone.

He knew Yang Jiuhua; he was actually quite calm and composed.

This is probably done for the sake of the live stream's effect.

Chen Miao wanted to say something, but then he shook his head, remembering what the other viewers had said.

The more than one hundred videos show that Yang Jiuhua has been doing this for at least the past year.

Nothing happened for a whole year; it just goes to show that people like Yang Jiuhua are just naturally tough.

Chen Miao and Zhong Cai had previously discussed the existence of such a thing as destiny.

Zhong Cai didn't know, but he believed in fate.

Master Zhong Cai once took Zhong Cai and Zhong Fa to see a master who was accomplished in physiognomy and fortune telling.

After the master finished looking at the two, Zhong Cai's master sent them away and went to talk to the master alone.

Zhong Cai and Zhong Fa were curious, so they secretly hid outside the window to eavesdrop.

As a result, the master's prediction for Zhong was that if he continued to deal with corpses after the age of forty, he would die at the hands of a corpse!

This is also why Master Zhongcai did not teach the two the art of corpse refining before he died.

Despite all this, Zhong Fa still died, killed by a jumping zombie he himself had created!
As for what the master's comment was for Zhong Cai, Zhong Cai didn't say.

However, judging solely from Zhong Cai's case, the master's calculation was not wrong.

Therefore, Chen Miao did not insist that Yang Jiuhua listen to him.

Sometimes, it might be better not to get involved.

Just then, Yang Jiuhua's voice rang out again.

"100,000 likes! Great, let's go clean that shrine now!"

Just as Chen Miao was wondering what was going on, Yang Jiuhua had already arrived at a room on the first floor.

Because it was just getting light, and the light inside the unfinished building was blocked, a flashlight was still needed for illumination.

Soon, Chen Miao saw the shrine that the flashlight was pointing at.

Chen Miao didn't recognize which deity was enshrined in the shrine, but soon he understood what Yang Jiuhua meant by "cleansing".

After a series of camera shakes, Yang Jiuhua is now standing on the table where the shrine is located.

Then, a stream of water suddenly appeared in the scene.

"Fuck!"

Chen Miao sat up straight and couldn't help but swear.

At this moment, Yang Jiuhua's voice also came out.

"See you next time, brothers..."

Before I could finish speaking, the live stream went black, and I checked the message.

The streamer is suspected of violating regulations.

Chen Miao was truly convinced; he no longer believed that Yang Jiuhua was just creating a show effect.

This is what it means to unleash your true nature!
Chen Miao turned off his phone and shook his head helplessly.

"It's only been two or three years, and it's already like this?"

Chen Miao glanced at the time; it was already six o'clock. He also heard the commotion outside.

He immediately picked up his things and walked out.

When Chen Miao arrived at the living room, he saw Shi Manman and her parents sitting there.

After saying hello, Chen Miao prepared to take his leave.

Before he could even speak, Shi Manman's next words stunned Chen Miao.

"Director, my uncle said he'd like to ask you to officiate at the funeral. Do you have time?"

"It will probably end around three or four in the afternoon, and the appearance fee is 20,000."

Chen Miao opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

"Then let's leave this afternoon."

Chen Miao called Shi Manman to his room and took two stacks of cash from his bag. Shi Manman refused, and Chen Miao waved his hand.

"Although we don't address each other as master and disciple, we are in fact master and disciple. You also helped me last night."

"According to the rules, a master is supposed to give his disciple a red envelope, so don't refuse. Compared to what I received, giving you 20,000 is not much."

Upon hearing Chen Miao's words, Shi Man's eyes lit up.

"Thank you, Master!"

Chen Miao paused for a moment, coughed, and instructed, "You still have to call me Director in the museum."

"Yes, Master!"

"Master, I'll go tell my uncle right away."

Shi Man happily stuffed the money into his coat pocket and jogged outside.

Chen Miao then began preparations.

He never presided over village affairs, but someone else did.

At seven o'clock, Chen Miao called Luo Zhiyong to ask about the things that rural hosts need to pay attention to.

After finishing, he went to see the eldest son of the Li family and others to learn about the old man's life before returning to his room to write the eulogy.

By the time I finished writing and memorizing the eulogy, it was already nine o'clock.

Chen Miao didn't stay in the room either, but went to the Li family's eldest son's house to help, directing the placement of things like the sound system, the tent, and the wreaths.

After working for a while, Chen Miao became familiar with the process.

Although the villagers had never seen Chen Miao before, they were all very curious because they saw how respectful the Li family was to him.

Upon asking, it turned out he was the director of a funeral home!
Now, everyone in the village said that the Li family was capable, as they were able to invite the curator.

Soon, it was time for Chen Miao to officially take charge.

The eulogy, which he knew by heart, was read aloud to everyone in the audience.

"The bamboo casts only a shadow in the wind, the daylily leaves no fragrance after the rain. The virtues of our ancestors will be remembered for generations to come, and our children and grandchildren will remember their parents' kindness with tears in their eyes."

Dear friends and family!

Life inevitably involves parting, but the departure of some people leaves a void in our hearts!

"The passing of Elder Li Jianhong took away his warm smile and his loving gaze, but left behind memories that will never fade! We gather here not to wallow in grief, but to remember his spirit and let this love continue to take root and flourish in our hearts..."

Upon hearing Chen Miao's eulogy, which differed from those of other emcees, the villagers began to murmur among themselves, with some even asking the Li family how much it would cost to hire the curator.

The Li family members naturally wouldn't say anything carelessly, and they all made excuses.

Chen Miao was busy until 3 p.m. before he was finally done.

The Li family chose burial, which is rare these days, but it does happen.

The reason for this is that burial requires paying a land occupation fee, bribing officials, and may even affect the receipt of certain pensions and subsidies.

Some people are afraid of the hassle and the fear of not receiving the money, so they dare not have a traditional burial.

For a wealthy family like the Li family, these things don't matter, so what matters is the wishes of the elderly.

Chen Miao politely declined the Li family's offer to stay, said goodbye to Shi Manman, and left directly.

As for Shi Manman, she won't be able to return to Tianmen County until tonight.

After Chen Miao returned to Tianmen County, it was already 7 p.m. Since the canteen was past its mealtime, he ate something outside.

As for the bag of money, Chen Miao had already deposited it in a bank in town and hadn't brought it with him at all.

When I returned to the funeral home, the remaining 250,000 yuan was also transferred to me.

According to this calculation, Chen Miao earned 520,000 yuan in one day and one night!
"500,000 per day?"

Chen Miao strolled around the funeral home with the book in a cheerful mood, also checking the cold storage and the mortuary, but found nothing amiss.

During this time, he ran into Li Fu, who was taking a walk outside. Li Fu asked him when Xiao Bai was coming.

Zhong Cai had been here a few times before, and because of Xiao Bai, Li Fu had become familiar with Zhong Cai.

Chen Miao told Li Fu about Xiao Bai and Zhong Cai's travels.

He originally thought Li Fu would be disappointed, but to his surprise, Li Fu smiled and said after hearing this, "Zhong Cai is a good master, not bad."

Chen Miao didn't quite understand Li Fu's idea, but he was too lazy to think about it.

come back to the office.

After washing up, Chen Miao took out the sealed pouch and pulled out the windmill from it.

Activating his Yin-Yang Eyes, Chen Miao saw a faint red light on the windmill, exactly the same as that on the black umbrella.

"Filth?"

Chen Miao looked at the windmill, unsure how to activate its power.

Chen Miao recalled the first time he saw the points mall on Chen Guokun's phone, where all the filth had a note on it.

Considering the notes, Chen Miao decided to start by testing the windmill's 'sound'.

So he called out softly, "Li Jianhong?"

no response.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Miao changed his word again.

"dad?"

Still no response.

"Is not it……"

Chen Miao looked at the windmill and suddenly thought of something, so he started to sing.

"The big windmill turns with a creaking sound."

Even though Chen Miao's toes had gripped the ground, the windmill still didn't react.

After that, Chen Miao racked his brains and said everything he could think of, even calling out the names of Li Jianhong's children.

No response.

Helpless, Chen Miao had no choice but to abandon sound triggering and switch to other methods.

Extending his finger, Chen Miao turned the windmill a few times and then stopped, without any change in the surroundings.

Chen Miao thought for a moment, then opened his mouth and started blowing at the windmill.

In one go, the windmill spun dozens of times.

But there was still no response.

"Still not working? Do we have to take the stick apart?"

Chen Miao looked at the connection between the windmill and the stick; there was only one nail there, a very simple structure.

Suddenly, Chen Miao remembered the behavior of Li Jianhong's spirit last night.

"Could it be..."

Chen Miao took the windmill to the window.

I opened the window and a gentle breeze caressed my face.

The windmill that Chen Miao had been holding slowly began to turn.

Looking at the constantly spinning windmill, a smile slowly appeared on Chen Miao's face.

It wasn't the polite smile you give to others, but a naive and radiant smile.

At this moment, Chen Miao was like a carefree child.

The windmill kept turning, and Chen Miao kept smiling, his gaze never leaving the windmill.

Until the wind stopped.

The smile on Chen Miao's face finally faded the moment the windmill stopped turning.

When Chen Miao realized what he had just experienced, his eyes widened in shock!
But just then, the wind picked up again.

Before the shock on Chen Miao's face had faded, a smile reappeared.

He transformed back into that carefree child with a nonchalant smile.

The wind blew for more than two minutes, and Chen Miao stood at the window watching the windmill and laughing for two minutes.

As Li Fu was walking back home after finishing his walk downstairs, he glanced up and saw Chen Miao grinning foolishly at the window, and also saw the creaking windmill turning.

After a moment of surprise, Li Fu chuckled, shook his head, and walked away.

……

(End of this chapter)