Chapter 1 Returning to the hometown to mourn

Recently, I saw on Douyin short videos that many people's life goals in 2018 are to save 20,000 yuan, get a driver's license, and then go to a scenic tourist resort to walk in such a big circle. Actually, this goal seems to be very simple, but when you are really new to the society, it is a very satisfying place to achieve this goal without the financial support of wealthy families.

Xingyuan is also a college student who just interned in 2018, and is currently working hard in Chengdu, a bustling first-tier city, selling houses, working as a security guard in a shopping mall, learning to cook fried rice and working as a fake catering sales manager. In fact, these industries are an indispensable potential development project in the future, once a person learns one of them, the future will be without worrying about food and clothing. But most of today's businessmen are too interested in profits, and they all have a dehumanized side behind them, and if they want to survive under their hands, they must work harder to survive in the bustling metropolis.

"Xingyuan, there are obviously fifty-two tables of guests today, why did you charge two hundred yuan less, what's the matter?" One of the minority shareholders of the restaurant used a calculator to calculate the ledger seven times in a row, looking at Xingyuan with suspicion.

"What? You lost two hundred dollars today? Do you remember where you lost it? Facing a group of drinking and noisy guests, Xingyuan couldn't hear the words of the shareholders clearly. Answered casually.

"I'm asking why the money you collected today is less than 200 yuan, isn't it that I lost the money, do you want to curse me for losing the money so much?" The minority shareholder's tone became louder, and his face became a little solemn.

Seeing that the atmosphere began to be a little wrong, Xingyuan stood up and pulled the small shareholder to a quieter place, "Brother Xiaopeng, you have also seen that today's guest is a wedding banquet, and the full price of the banquet should be 52,213 yuan. ”

"What, Geely, you young people know what to make up for Geely, since you like Geely so much, why don't you charge more than 4, I love you for a lifetime! It's more auspicious! There was clearly an angry tone between the words of the minority shareholder, and a slight redness began to appear in the nose.

Faced with this scene, Xingyuan's heart also began to have a trace of dissatisfaction, "Brother Peng, didn't you just give me permission yesterday, saying that the banquet can be reduced by up to 500 yuan, today is a day of great joy for others, and you have also earned so much money from others today, isn't it less than 200 yuan?" As for being so excited? ”

"Two hundred yuan, two hundred yuan is not money, do you know how much you can buy for two hundred yuan? You young people, who have been pampered by your parents since childhood, how can you know how difficult it was to make money in our era, you just feel that the money you earn is not yours, so you decisively don't accept it! The words of the minority shareholders began to have an aggressive momentum

"Heh, you're amazing, what you're wearing, what you're sitting on your buttocks, and any corner of your restaurant can't be bought for two hundred yuan. Having said that, I'm not doing this for your own good, this time I charged someone a little less money, others may feel that the owner of this restaurant is good, and in the future, the birthday banquet of the elderly in the family, or the birth of a child, or the purchase of a full moon wine for the child will come to your restaurant, do you think you can make less money at that time? He also said that he has been in business for more than ten years, and he doesn't even have such business acumen, really, you are not as good as me, a student who has just come out of school! No wonder you have been in business for more than ten years, and now you are still a small shareholder, it is estimated that you will be like this all your life! At this time, Xingyuan's temper also came up, and the tone of his speech began to increase a little!

"Good, good, good, you're amazing, 200 yuan is not a big deal, right, from today on, every time I pay my salary in the future, I will ask the finance to pay you 200 less, I see how long you can be arrogant!"

At this time, Xingyuan's heart began to be extremely hateful, and he gradually clenched his fists: "Okay, why am I so unlucky, what kind of sin did I really create in my last life, there is a boss like you, isn't it just two hundred yuan, ah, this is the salary just paid yesterday, and the two hundred will be paid back to you!" I'm gone! Xingyuan slapped two red bills on the table next to the minority shareholder. Turned around and left without looking back. Just took two steps, and I didn't forget to say "I wish you this life!" The more you live, the poorer you get, so poor that you have no friends! ”

"What, Xingyuan, you resigned again? Why are you like this, you don't have any qualitative idea of what you do, you don't go to the job that your father and I introduced to you, you have to say that you have to go on your own, it's your fourth job, you're twenty-one years old, when will you be able to let us worry! Deng Xingyuan's mother's anxious voice came from the phone

"Hey, Mom is really not my fault this time, that boss is really too picky, and doing things under his hands is really a feeling of suffering all the shame in the world!"

"Forget it, I won't say anything more to you, I see that you can't find a suitable job quickly, recently your godfather passed away, and your father and I are very busy, and we can't go back to the township. I want to come to your grandfather when you were young and took very good care of you, taking you like a treasure, this time his old man is dying, and there are four days left to be his first seven, you should also go back to do your filial piety. Otherwise, if no one in the family goes back, other relatives and friends will curse you! Xingyuan's mother muttered on the phone.

"Godgrandpa?" Xingyuan, who had just hung up the phone, began to slowly recall the past in his mind.

Xingyuan's godgrandfather's name is Wang Jian, and he is a kind and respectable old man in Shibanpo Village, where Xingyuan lived when he was a child. Because he and Xingyuan's grandfather are friends for eight worships, and they have no children and no daughters, they love Xingyuan when they were young.

"Whew, whew, it's finally here! Why hasn't this ten-kilometer mountain road been renovated, even Master Didi doesn't dare to drive in, it's really not easy to get in and out of this village! Xingyuan carried a duffel bag and walked the rugged and steep mountain road step by step. Looking at the surrounding scenery, "After so many years, this place has not changed at all, the houses, trees, and even the pond are still the same!" ”

Located in a forest just outside the city's Sixth Ring Road, Shibanpo Village is one of the few undeveloped areas around the city, with clear rivers and lush trees, and a faint smell of vanilla in the air. The autumn light is stacked on top of each other, and the fallen leaves are flying.

After walking for a long time, Xingyuan finally came to the house of his godfather Wang Jian, at this time the white mourning hall in the courtyard had been erected, the mourning music started, and the courtyard was full of sadness. Walking into the courtyard, Xingyuan slowly put down the duffel bag and walked into the mourning hall.

This mourning hall occupies a large area, and the front of the mourning curtain is made of fine curtain, on which some lifelike patterns are delicately cut. There are also many wreaths on both sides of the curtain, and in the mourning hall, there are three thick incense sticks, cigarette smoke is swirling, and a strong smell of fragrant wax paper money fills the air.

In the middle hangs the black and white portrait of Wang Jian's kindness, and a flower is made of black satin, and the remaining streamers slowly hang on both sides of the statue, and below is a beautiful offering table, on which are placed many tributes, in the middle is a large piece of pork, and on both sides are two plates of different fruits.

Behind the statue is the place where the coffin is parked, which cannot be seen outside, but at the moment when Xingyuan just lifted the curtain, he felt a cold feeling emanating from that place, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.

Looking around, Xingyuan did not suspect it, took three sticks of incense from the table next to him, bowed three times in front of the statue of his godfather Wang Jian, and reverently inserted the incense into the incense burner on the table.

At this time, the spiritual curtain of the mourning hall was lifted again, and Xingyuan looked back to see that the village chief of Shiban Village was walking in with an old man wearing a yellow robe.

"Xingyuan, you came back just in time, although Uncle Wang usually has a very high prestige in the village. The villagers don't respect him very much, because he dedicated all his youth to the village, so he doesn't have a son and a half daughter until now. Now that Uncle Wang is dying, he doesn't even have a relative, I want to come to your grandfather and Uncle Wang are also friends of eight worships, you are also half a grandson of him, and I want to come to your time in the village Uncle Wang also treats you no worse than your biological grandfather, so this time the filial son who followed the funeral will be up to you! The village chief walked up to Xingyuan and said Shanshan.

After listening to the village chief's words, Xingyuan looked at the benevolent posthumous photo of his dead godfather Wang Jian, and nodded incessantly

On the day of the first seven days, the eldest son of the deceased held the incense burner in both hands, and walked in front of the four coffin bearers regardless of wind or rain, until he walked to the cemetery where the deceased was buried, and then the deceased was accounted for. But now it is a new era in 2019, and the way of burial has changed a lot with the times, and now due to the proportion of land, there is almost no such thing as burial, and the vehicle that transports the remains of the deceased is parked dozens of meters away from the funeral of the deceased, and the funeral filial son walks dozens of meters as before, and the four coffin bearers put the coffin in the car, and then send it to the crematorium, burn it into ashes, and bury it in the cemetery.

"Uncle Kang, this is no problem, I think my grandfather was very good to me when I was a child, and now it's time for me to repay my kindness," Deng Xingyuan said.

At this time, the yellow-robed Taoist priest standing behind the village chief Kang suddenly spoke: "Although the deceased did not have a son and a half daughter before his death, but after his death, there are so many people mourning him, and it is also the blessing of his life. ”

After Xingyuan and Village Chief Kang walked out of the mourning hall, Xingyuan hurriedly pulled Village Chief Kang down to a corner, "I said, Uncle Kang, where did you invite the Taoist priest, what age are you now, and you are still engaged in these feudal superstitions, you are the head of a village, and you have been educated by the party!" ”

"Hey, there's no way, although I'm also an atheist, but your godfather and other villagers believe in these very much, and I was forced to do nothing at first, but this Taoist chief is very prestigious on our side, and as long as there is a little bit of economic strength in the next few villages, this Taoist chief must be invited. As far as I know, this Xuanfeng Dao Master has learned the Tao from the Shushan faction, and any demons and monsters have to hide away when they see him! Village Chief Kang whispered.

Listening to Village Chief Kang's words, Xingyuan couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Shushan faction? The one in the Legend of Sword and Fairy? No, now these liars and deceitful stories won't be deceived, and such words can be said? ”

"Xingyuan, if you are quiet, it will not be good to be heard by the Dao Chief, I didn't believe it at first, but when the Xuanfeng Dao Leader did it for the first time in front of Uncle Wang's Ling Hall, he showed his hands, and I believed it at once." The village chief spoke again in a low voice.

"What kind of paper turtle swimming is he showing you, or is he slashing demons with a sword?"

"Not only these, but also as long as he slowly puts his hands together, after less than ten seconds, a puff of white smoke can come out of his palms, and the villagers say that this is a superior spell to achieve such a state. Hearing is false, seeing is believing, I saw it with my own eyes, don't make trouble for me this time, offend the Taoist chief, be careful why the whole village will suffer" Village Chief Kang continued to whisper in Xingyuan's ear.

"Alright! I'll stay here for now, and by the way, see how powerful this Taoist priest is! ”