The string of firecrackers was set off 'quietly' under our watch, and all of us breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dig!" Qing Xuanzi shouted to the Eight Immortals, and after the Eight Immortals heard this, they dug down the grave with a hoe, Guo Fatzi's goods, only digging a few hoes, was already sweating, and glanced at me from time to time, that innocent look, as if to say, "Brother Jiu, I can't dig anymore." ”

I ignored his eyes directly, this thing didn't do some manual labor, the body would only grow more and more, and I didn't pay attention to him, so I knelt on the grave with my father, and every seven minutes, I kowtowed to the eight immortals, meaning to thank them for moving up to a new home for my ancestors. Why every seven minutes? Because seven is the same sound, digging a grave is called a grave on our side.

Grandpa's grave was buried very shallowly, and the soil was relatively loose, and it took about 40 minutes to reveal a model of the coffin lid, because the age was a little old, the coffin lid was rotten, and there were some white maggots wriggling on it, which looked a little disgusting.

Seeing this, Qing Xuanzi stretched his voice and roared, "Show the coffin, stop hoeing, filial sons and grandsons get up and thank you!" ”

I stood up with my father, knelt for a long time, my feet were a little numb, I took out nine red envelopes from my pocket, gave one to each of the Eight Immortals, and another to Qing Xuanzi, his red envelopes were thicker than those of the Eight Immortals, this is the custom.

According to my thoughts, it is the Eight Immortals who really do coolies, and there should be more red envelopes, but Qingxuanzi is a technical job, and ordinary people can't do it, sometimes it's like this, technical workers are always easier than coolies, and they get more money, so it can be seen that it is very important to learn a skill.

After I sent the red envelope, my father stuffed a pack of ten yuan of white sand for the eight immortals and Qing Xuanzi, it is worth mentioning that the smoke from the grave is better than the smoke sent at other times, our family moved the grave this time, and bought five yuan of white sand, just when the grave came, Lao Xiucai asked us to buy a good cigarette, saying that it was for my grandfather to see that the children and grandchildren attach importance to the grave.

After handing out red envelopes and cigarettes, we said a word of thanks to the Eight Immortals and Qing Xuanzi, and burned some yellow paper next to Grandpa's grave, and prepared to raise the coffin.

Qing Xuanzi glanced at us, stopped his hand, and said, "The groundbreaking ceremony has been completed, and the coffin will not get up until after noon, so eat lunch first, carry the new coffin here by the way, and then pick the 'dragon body'." (The dragon body is the jargon, but it is actually the bones)

"Why?" I asked him, confused.

"If you break ground at 12:45, you can use the yang energy at noon to disperse the evil qi of the grave, and now the evil qi has dispersed, and only the dragon body remains." Qing Xuanzi explained: "If you pick the dragon body now, the yang energy at noon will burn the dragon body, which is not good for future generations. ”

After hearing this, I finally understood what was going on, and I had a feeling of rising knowledge, but the Taoist priest was a little discordant with our eight immortals, and I didn't want to ask deeply, so I led a group of people back home.

Some people say that the rich have distant relatives in the mountains, and the poor in the downtown no one asks, this is a little wrong in our family, our family is poor, but this time the grave still came to seven or eight relatives, and sent some gifts to eat the banquet, of course, this is also inseparable from the father's usual personality.

As soon as we got home, Lang Gao had already asked the chef to prepare the banquet, and counted five tables, one of which was placed in the hall, and the other four were placed on a flat in front of the hall.

When Lang Gao saw me, he pulled me aside and said with some embarrassment: "Chen Baxian, this banquet is not easy to arrange!" ”

I asked him why, and he said, "Logically speaking, it is understandable for the eight Eight Immortals to sit in the hall, but it is a little inappropriate for Qing Xuanzi to sit in the seat of the flat floor because of his great reputation and the fact that he is the Yin and Yang gentleman who moved the tomb." ”

This problem is really difficult to handle, the meal in the morning is just to invite the eight immortals to eat with a group of people, which is considered a meal between friends. This meal at noon is a main meal, and it needs to be done according to etiquette, otherwise it is easy to offend people and cause some trouble.

If you do it according to etiquette, you will inevitably offend Qing Xuanzi, and this Liang Zi will take it in the future, don't look at Qing Xuanzi and his father have a good relationship, once the arrangement at the banquet is wrong, he will immediately turn his face, they are all doing one line, everyone understands this truth.

Although it was just a meal, there was so much to stake in it, so I asked him, "How are the other banquets arranged?" ”

"Your relatives and the people who help are sitting on the pingdi, and some people in your village are also arranged on the pingdi, and the banquet has their names made up on it, so it shouldn't be messy." Lang Gao said.

"Do we have a seat for our family?" I asked.

"Originally, a table was arranged for your family, but your father said that no relatives came, I counted the number of people, and arranged five tables, but now there are seven or eight relatives here, and they just occupy that seat, you, your father and Miss Qiao, I'm afraid you have to eat standing up!" Lang Gao glanced at the hall and explained.

Originally, I wanted to let Qing Xuanzi sit at a table with our family, but now we don't even have a seat for ourselves, this time, it's really a little difficult to do, if Qing Xuanzi is squeezed into the chairman's table, it doesn't matter, and with Qing Xuanzi's temperament, he won't go.

"Do you have a way?" I put my hope on Lang Gao, this kind of work of arranging a banquet is really not done by people, it must be done in all aspects, one will offend people if he is not careful, and then not only the host will blame, but even those who come to eat the banquet will also blame, so this acquaintance is not so easy to be.

"You are the leader of the Eight Immortals, can you give up a place for Daoist Qingxuanzi?" Lang Gao said cautiously.

"No, the eight immortals must sit in the main xi, this is not negotiable, think of another way!" I rejected Lang Gao's idea in one go, I am the Eight Immortals myself, and I understand the importance of that position to the Eight Immortals.

"Then only let Lao Xiucai, you and your family accompany Qing Xuanzi, find a place to eat, tables and stools can be borrowed from other people's houses, I'm afraid there are not many dishes, but with Lao Xiucai, a nearly 100-year-old man with him, Qing Xuanzi should have no opinion." Lang Gao thought for a while and said.

I thought about it for a while, and felt that this was reasonable, but I was a little wronged by Lao Xiucai, but Lao Xiucai usually didn't stick to these things, and it shouldn't be a big problem to discuss with him, and it would be good to give him some compensation afterwards.

"Okay, then do it!" I nodded at Lang Gao, and he turned around and left, presumably arranging a banquet.

I lit a cigarette and walked slowly towards the hall, met some relatives, said hello to them, and as soon as I got close to the hall, I saw the Eight Immortals and Qing Xuanzi standing at the door, and no one entered the hall, when they saw me coming, they were obviously stunned, and their faces were a little unnatural.