Folklore simulation, starting with the mortician

There aren't many places to rest in the temple, let alone decent halls.

Li Feng had no choice but to ask this local gentry from Gaoyin County to make room for him in the east wing, where he found a table and three chairs.

It's thanks to Yu'er's diligent cleaning that this room is kept in good condition.

The local gentry, who had only intended to take a sip of tea, couldn't resist taking two more sips after tasting it. He looked at Li Feng in surprise and said, "Master Li is quite the connoisseur. This tea doesn't taste like coarse or strong tea; it has a bit of the flavor from beyond the Great Wall."

These words made the local gentry look at Li Feng with new respect.

Li Feng didn't say anything, but just nodded to himself. He glanced at the girl Yu without leaving a trace. Although her face was covered in pockmarks, she was clean and timid, as if she was afraid that Li Feng would blame her.

Seeing Li Feng smile at her, Yu Yatou finally felt relieved and walked outside, closing the door behind her, leaving Li Feng, Mr. Lin, and the local gentry behind.

The local gentry smiled and couldn't help but take another sip of tea before speaking, "To be honest, Master Chef, I didn't originally intend to trouble you with this matter. Firstly, I heard that you have a lot of things to do, and secondly, I was afraid that the journey was too long and it wouldn't be appropriate for you to travel back and forth. But now, I have no choice but to consult you on this matter."

The local gentry spoke tactfully, but Li Feng and Mr. Lin both understood the meaning behind it. The reason they hadn't come to him before was because they thought his skills weren't up to par. Now that he had made a name for himself, of course they had come to him.

Of course, one shouldn't hit a smiling face, especially since the person came with money. Right now, Li Feng wanted to renovate the temple, but he was short of money.

After all, the people of Gaoyin County had promised to accept it, and Li Feng was unwilling to leave without taking a single penny, lest he appear stingy.

"It's a long story. Apart from Suolong Village, which is a secluded place, the other villages in our county are all densely populated, with many merchants traveling between the north and south. So, when this incident happened, everyone was in a panic and no one dared to do business or trade, for fear that if they were not careful, they would lose their whole family, which would be a great loss."

"A few days ago, the Zhao family in Wailiu Village welcomed a baby boy, which should have been a good thing. But not long after the baby was born, he cried night after night. At first, the Zhao family didn't take it seriously and just let the young wife feed him some milk, but he still cried. They had no choice but to find a capable wet nurse from outside the village. But who knew, the problem was still not solved."

"It's really strange. This child doesn't cry during the day, but only at night. When he cries, he makes a huge fuss, and everyone around can hear him clearly. It's one family crying, but then the other families start crying too. At first, no one thought anything of it, but as time went on, the child started crying so hard that he couldn't catch his breath. Then someone suggested that he might be possessed by a ghost or something."

"Later, we consulted many master craftsmen, but none of them could help. Several skilled master craftsmen stopped consulting us, saying that this matter was too serious and they dared not touch it for fear of disturbing important figures. Later, I asked someone I knew, and found out that we had encountered the Night Crying Man. It was said that this Night Crying Man was sent by a spirit from another sect."

"They said that when they were examining these children, before midnight, when the child was crying the loudest, a patch of white fur appeared on their body. It looked terrifying; they didn't look like children at all, they looked like... well, I didn't dare to say anything. I wanted to ask that master for help, or even just to recommend someone, but the master kept saying goodbye and refused to take the job, so he left."

"I had no choice but to ask for your help. I had heard about the abilities of the two master chefs. After all, they can handle things that come from higher up. So, I have to trouble you two master chefs. Whether it succeeds or not, you will be paid. We will definitely not let you two go to any trouble."

The local gentry drank several cups of tea before explaining the whole story, and even after he finished, he couldn't help but lick his lips.

Before Li Feng could speak, Mr. Lin spoke up, "This is easy to handle, but we're all from the same business, and people from the same business are very particular about rules. We won't easily interfere with other people's business, so we need to give you an agreement first. You need to leave a birth chart so that people can find you easily."

Mr. Lin's words were clear, and Li Feng understood the meaning: if this matter became a big deal, the other party would still have to find another job; the problem lay with you, not with us.

"Easy, easy, I understand. There's a birth chart involved, of course there is a birth chart involved."

After saying that, the local gentry took out a slip of paper with a person's birth date and time written on it.

"And what about the price?"

Mr. Lin tapped the table, sipping his tea without glancing at the local gentry.

"One hundred taels!"

The local gentry hurriedly spoke.

"That's not enough; it needs to be at least this number."

After he finished speaking, Mr. Lin held up three fingers.

Three hundred taels?!

When the gentry asked this question, his face was already covered in sweat.

"No way, having traveled all over the country, how could I not know your skills, the Three Golden Hooves?"

These words caused the local gentry to stumble and fall to the ground, sweat pouring down his face.

"So, if it works out, we'll get everything ready by noon and go check it out. If it doesn't, then so be it."

After saying this, Mr. Lin glanced at the local gentry, who gritted his teeth and finally nodded. "It can be done, it can be done. Please, master craftsmen, make a decision as soon as possible. I'll go back and ask around. This is no small matter."

Mr. Lin gave Li Feng a look, and Li Feng understood and nodded.

Then Mr. Lin opened his mouth to speak, "Show the guest out."

The door opened with a sound, and Yu Yatou stood prettily outside, waiting for the local gentry to walk away before coming in to ask if the meal was ready.

Mr. Lin was about to go to eat when Li Feng pulled him aside and asked, "Sir, you haven't even found out the details of this matter yet, so why did you agree to it so hastily?"

"My lord, can't you see what's going on? Even if you hadn't come looking for this, it would have come looking for you. Why would you expect me to bring up his birth date and ask for that golden hoof?"

Mr. Lin spoke in a very disjointed manner, leaving Li Feng with only a vague understanding.

But after eating, Li Feng finally came to his senses. The creature from the river hadn't let him go that day, so naturally it came knocking again.