The next half month was still spent in loss for me. After rejecting the reconciliation of Han Jie and others, Huang Lijun and I have almost no possibility of getting back together. Unlike the Cold War, this time we not only did not speak to each other, but even avoided meeting. Huang Lijun even asked Han Jie to return the sports watch and bracelet I gave her. Sometimes I don't understand, the two of us don't have a deep hatred, why did it get to such a point?

The final exam is coming soon, and I have no intention of revising at all, so I reluctantly go to the classroom to attend classes. On the day of the exam, of course, I can't hand in blank papers, Chinese, history, politics, these subjects, I still know some, and I don't manage whether the questions are correct or not, basically just answer blindly, just make up enough words. There is no way to do mathematics, physics and chemistry, if you don't understand it, you don't understand it, and you can't make it up blindly. But the exam didn't give me an early paper, so I got bored and started counting strokes: count the first word of each multiple-choice question, divide it by 4, and use the remainder to decide whether I should choose A, B, C or D for this question. If it is multiple choice, then each option counts the stroke of the first word, odd YES, even NO!

After the exam, it was equivalent to a vacation, just waiting for a few days to get the results, and then my sophomore year of high school was over. My master's side is now back to normal, and the day after I finished the exam, he took a ritual, and he took me with him.

This time the ritual was to help a wealthy merchant who had returned from a foreign country to bury his father. This wealthy businessman often lived in Shanghai, and his old father had already taken him over and passed away in Shanghai. Because his father's last words were to be buried back to his hometown, and the distance was long, the body was inconvenient to transport, so he could only bring back the ashes after cremation.

When Master and I first received this job, we thought it was just a matter of doing a Dharma service. As a result, I found out that the rich merchant's hometown was in Baihua Town, and he wanted to ask the master to go to Baihualing to help him pick a cemetery with good feng shui and bury him. What's even more troublesome is that when they met, there was a chubby old ghost standing next to the rich businessman, judging from his appearance and figure, he was definitely the rich businessman's father!

I thought to myself, this rich old man is also persistent enough, and his ghost actually followed his ashes all the way back to his hometown by plane. I don't know how he did it.

The meeting place was in the most upscale hotel in the county, and we were invited to have tea in the café box of the hotel that evening. The person who introduced my master was the village chief of Paiwei Village, whose surname was Xie and his name was Xie Dayong. Xie Dayong called the rich businessman Mr. Wang, and he heard that he was in the tea business. Mr. Wang grew up in Shanghai since he was a child, and he no longer speaks our hometown dialect here. He said to my master in standard Mandarin, "Master Feng, I don't have enough time to come this time, I only have three days. It's been a wasted day just looking for someone today, so we can't put it off any longer. I hope you can do me a favor and find a feng shui treasure in Baihualing in two days, and let my father settle in the earth! ”

At this time, the master couldn't even say yes or not. According to his temperament, when he encounters this kind of wandering ghosts scattered in the yang world, he must deal with it properly, even if it is free. However, this time he took the opportunity to make a lot of requests, in addition to the price increase and the package of room and board, he also asked him to take care of the urn.

Mr. Wang readily agreed to the request for money, saying that money was not a problem, but the urn refused to be handed over to us for safekeeping anyway. In the end, the master compromised and asked to do a ritual in the county seat first. He said: "There is still a trace of the old man's soul on this urn. You are so tired of traveling, and the time is urgent, I need to communicate with the deceased in advance to see where his favorite mansion is. ”

Mr. Wang asked, "When will this ritual be done, and is it still too late?" ”

The master said, "It's too late, you can do it now!" ”

Mr. Wang asked again: "Where are you going to do it?" ”

Master said, "It's okay to be in this box!" ”

Mr. Wang looked at my master with a little surprise, thinking that he was telling a joke. In the end, Xie Dayong played a round, saying that this Master Feng still has real skills, maybe he can really talk to the old man? If this is the case, where the old man wants to choose a cemetery, he will do it! Mr. Wang agreed suspiciously.

So, Master and I cleared the room, leaving only the urn still on the table. Of course, Mr. Wang's ghost father was also there, looking at us blankly, but he didn't speak.

"What's your name?" Master asked.

"......" The chubby old ghost still didn't speak, just looked at us directly.

"How did you come back after such a long journey?"

“......”

"Can't you speak?" Master asked again.

“......”

Could it be a dumb ghost? I thought to myself. Master walked directly up to the ghost and stretched out his hand to shake it in his face. The ghost didn't react, just like a fool. Hehe, can ghosts get Alzheimer's disease too?

Master thought for a moment, then turned back to me and said, "You go out first, guard the door and don't let anyone in." ”

"I'm going out too?" I asked, pointing to my nose. I want to see how Master is going to clean up this ghost!

"I'll get you out! Guard the door! Master got a little impatient and waved his hand to chase me.

I walked out of the box in a huff, not knowing what kind of medicine was sold in Master's gourd. Mr. Wang and Xie Dayong are also waiting outside the door, will they say hello when they see me come out? I said, "My master has just started casting spells, so don't go in and disturb me." ”

After about ten minutes, Master shouted inside that you could come in. I was the first to open the door and see that the old ghost was gone, only the urn on the table remained.

The master said to Mr. Wang: "I have already talked to your old man, and I probably know where to find his Yin Mansion." We'll leave for Baihualing early tomorrow morning. ”

Mr. Wang was skeptical, but he agreed. So the two sides agreed to gather at the door of the hotel at eight o'clock the next morning and take a car to Baihualing together, and the four of us, including Xie Dayong, will also go.

When I got out of the hotel, I asked Master, "How did you communicate with that ghost old man?" Did you take him? ”

Master shook his head and said, "The ghost has only been dead for a few days, but he has been stranded in the yang world and has traveled a long way, and his mind has been damaged. I helped him recover a little and let him go back to the urn to recuperate. In addition, I have already talked to him, and his wish is to go back to his hometown and stay, not to stay in Shanghai. ”

"Master, how did you help him recover his mind just now? Why don't you let me stay inside and watch? I asked again.

"Don't ask about this now, I have a point, and I'll teach you later when I have the opportunity." Master refused to tell me, which made me a little depressed.

I always feel that Master has a lot of things to hide from me. For example, the big box under the bed, as well as the relationship between him and the old man who cares for the grave and Boss Su, etc., especially the cave under the Wind Valley Ridge! If it weren't for my tantrum and messing up, he might not have told me that there was such a place in the world, let alone taken me there. And those yin veins and formations inside, I've never heard of them! I now begin to vaguely feel that my master is actually a hermit with mysterious superpowers, and he is only pretending to be a fake Taoist priest on the surface.

But I also have a lot of opinions about my master's approach of fire prevention, theft prevention and apprenticeship! I've been with him for more than ten years! Since he took the initiative to ask my parents and my mother to take me as an apprentice, he should have taught me all his skills, instead of teaching me to toss some disgusting things for ghosts to eat!

My master didn't care whether I had been slandering him or not, and after telling me the time to come to the hotel tomorrow, he went back to the village by himself. I had to go home and sleep alone depressed. Alas, there have been too many unpleasant things recently, and I always feel very depressed and unhappy in my heart, but I can't solve it.

Early the next morning, we followed Mr. Wang and Xie Dayong in a car to Baihualing. There is a distance of almost fifty or sixty kilometers from the county seat to Baihualing, and most of them are winding mountain roads. Our car went around for almost two hours before we arrived in the town of Baihua.

Baihua Town is not big, in fact, it is just one street, and there are shops and people on both sides. The town is also not very populated, and there are several villages scattered around, basically just a circle along the foot of Baihualing. Baihualing is said to be the local ** ready to develop into a small tourist attraction, and no new graves will be built on the mountain in the past two years, and the old graves will also be moved down. If anyone is found to have committed a crime against the wind, they will be dug up directly. Therefore, it is useless to go up the mountain and wander around without asking clearly. Mr. Wang didn't expect this situation, and thought that he was pressed for time, and delaying time here was delaying business, so he couldn't help but be a little anxious.

My master reassured him not to be in a hurry, and made a few phone calls to ask about the current policy, and then confirmed the areas available to him. After asking about things, it was noon. After lunch, my master took Mr. Wang, Xie Dayong and me to the foot of Baihualing Mountain to find good feng shui.

Mountain trails are not as flat as they are, and walking is time-consuming. After searching for a whole afternoon, I found that the sun was about to set, and finally found a good place in the north of the ridge. The place was backed by mountains and water, with a swamp in front of it, surrounded by huge trees, quiet and elegant. Mr. Wang felt very satisfied at first glance, and his ghost father also came out of the urn at this time, stood behind his son and nodded violently, indicating that he agreed to settle down here.

Ghosts are generally not allowed to come out during the day, but they can still occasionally appear in some shaded areas or indoor places where the sun does not shine. What surprised me even more was that the ghost old man seemed to have regained his senses, and he didn't look like he was stupidly demented like last night.

The rest of the story went well, too. Xie Dayong also had a lot of acquaintances in Baihualing, so he called to ask, and then took Mr. Wang to find the local village chief and offered to buy this land. This kind of cemetery buying and selling in the countryside is actually very arbitrary, as long as the village chief agrees and pays a sum of money to the village committee. At that time, the village will write a note to prove that "the village committee agrees that so-and-so will bury his father somewhere in the village", of course, this kind of proof will not be recognized by **. However, as long as it does not involve land acquisition and demolition, and the village is stamped, the villagers will approve it.

After finalizing the selection of the cemetery, my master helped to contact the shroud shop, the drum class, and the digging workers, and the burial was scheduled for 7 o'clock tomorrow morning. Mr. Wang was very satisfied with my master's extremely high efficiency, and promised to give my master an extra amount of gratitude. Of course, the benefits of Xie Dayong's side must also be indispensable.

That night, Master and I were arranged to stay in a guest house in Baihua Town. At dinner, Mr. Wang was in a good mood, and he could see that he was also a filial son. He also proposed that he no longer had any relatives in Baihua Town, and wanted to make an agreement with my master to help him burn some incense candles and paper money in front of the grave on the first and fifteenth days of each month, and then transfer the expenses to my master.

The master said, "I live in the county seat, so it's not convenient to come here. Well, I'll help you with another person! ”

After eating, Master did not go directly back to the guest house, but took me to the town for a walk. The east-west street in Baihua Town was completed in ten minutes, and then it was time to walk to the village. There is something strange about this town of Hundred Flowers, and I walked along the way, and I saw several ghosts roaming the streets. When the ghosts found out that I could see them, they were curious and made "grimaces" at me!

Master kept shaking his head, but he didn't do anything, he kept going, and finally turned into a path. Scattered graves began to appear on both sides of the road, but at the end of the road was a small temple. When my master went up, he knocked directly on the temple door and shouted, "Lao Liu open the door!" ”

A short old man opened the door, greeted us warmly, and invited us into the house to sit and make tea. It was a mountain temple, dedicated to the "black-faced mountain god", wearing gold helmets and silver armor, holding steel forks, and having a dark complexion. Whether this "black-faced mountain god" belongs to the bodhisattvas in Buddhism or the immortals of Taoism, I don't know. Anyway, the gods offered in the small temple in the countryside are varied, many of them are unique to the place, and they are dedicated to the old and young of this village, and they are offered to another one in the next village.

After the greetings, the master asked straight to the point, "Why is the situation on your side so chaotic now?" Those ghosts usually walk the streets at night, don't they know how to go back to the cemetery? ”

When Lao Liu heard my master ask this, his smile disappeared, and he began to sigh. He said: "Alas, our Baihualing is not as good as the county seat, there is no unified public cemetery, and it is not as standardized as the county seat. The dead in each village are buried separately, and there are graves everywhere in the east and west! Even if it is a relatively concentrated cemetery, there are as many as ten! That's why it's very difficult for me to manage here! ”

When my master heard this, he couldn't help frowning, and asked again, "Is there anything else here besides you...... Master? "When the word 'master' was mentioned, the master seemed to glance at me.

"No more! After Lao Lin died, I was left alone! Lao Liu seemed to be very sensitive, and also glanced at me before replying: "Now those masters in Baihua Town are all guys who only know how to fool people!" There is not even a serious Taoist priest or monk! ”

What does it mean? What do you want me to do? I'm not a "master", I haven't graduated yet! Could it be that the master and this old man Liu are playing double reeds and want to fool me into coming to Baihua Town to be a "master"? There are no doors!

"What about the ghost market? How's the market? My master asked.

Lao Liu continued to shake his head and said, "No! On weekdays, there are less than 50 ghosts in the ghost market. There are only three or five stalls, so I have now changed to only once a month on the fifteenth of the month. Alas, I can't do it anymore! ”

It turns out that this Lao Liu is the same character as our Lao Tan there, on the surface, he is an old man who helps the village watch the temple and the ancestral hall, but in fact he is the manager of the local ghost market. However, this Lao Liu is obviously much worse than Lao Tan!

"Thank you!" My master comforted. Then he took out a note and handed it to Lao Liu, and said to him: "I came today, but I helped you get a good errand." ”

The master conveyed Mr. Wang's request to Lao Liu, and the note was Mr. Wang's contact information. Lao Liu heard that he can make a little money by burning paper money every month, of course he is happy!

My master said, "That's not all, I'll help you set up that ghost tomorrow." When the time comes, you will go to his grave to guide and guide him, and let him go to the Baihualing Ghost Market if he is fine. He will be your patron in the future! Lao Liu also said yes again and again when he heard it.

I was thinking at the time, but it's a pity that Mr. Wang's ghost father is buried far away, otherwise he can develop into my regular customer. Alas, how did my master know how to help others make wedding dresses?

After saying goodbye to Lao Liu, Master and I walked all the way back to the guest house. On the way, I began to complain about Master, saying that next time there is such a rich ghost, I must introduce him to us!

When Master asked why, I said, "We can do business with him!" In addition, we can burn more paper money for him and let him transfer it to us. ”

"What do you mean?" Master didn't understand my thoughts at once.

I explained, "Master, I've done the math, but it's actually the most cost-effective way to burn silver dollars in paper money!" Because other people burn less silver dollars, they burn more ingots and dark coins, so the exchange rate of silver dollars against RMB is very low. If you buy from the incense and candle shop, a box of 100 silver dollars will only sell for 10 yuan, and if you exchange it in the underworld, you can exchange it for almost 20 yuan, making double the profit! ”

"Oh, then you mean that we will negotiate with the ghost, and let him return the silver dollars we burned too much, and we will exchange them for yuan, right?" Master seems to have finally understood.

"That's right!" I was overjoyed and said proudly: "It's like exchanging foreign currency!" It's a big deal, we also give the old ghost a little benefit, and we can also share dividends with cooperation! ”

"Smack!"

I was slapped hard in the head. Master snorted and sneered, "Can you kid be a little promising?" There's a lot of careful thinking, and it's all calculated to this! ”

I screamed, and quickly protected my head and didn't dare to talk back, but muttered in my heart: "I followed you to the cemetery to sell supper, what else do you want?" ”

Master said: "Paper money must be burned by the descendants themselves to their ancestors, even if they ask someone to help!" Besides, you burn a lot of silver dollars, doesn't Lao Tan know how to raise the exchange rate? Will you still be able to take advantage of this loophole then? ”

I thought about it, and what Master said made sense. The old man who watched the grave grasped the exchange rate of the ghost market, he wanted to write higher and higher, and if he wanted to write low, he would be lower, and I couldn't reach the chalk head in his hand for a long time!

Alas, it seems that my little trick still can't play these old fritters!