After thinking for a while, I looked at Mr. Fan suspiciously, and said, "Are you always sure that those paper-tied furniture are placed next to the Eight Immortals table in the Tianshu Position?" ”

He nodded, asked me for a cigarette, crushed it, put some tobacco in the pipe, took a few puffs, and said, "Chen Baxian, the old man still can't trick you?" Just do what the old man says. ”

I was stunned and didn't move, it's not that I don't believe him, it's that what he put forward contradicts the idea in my heart, if there is not enough reason, I will not blindly believe in a person, after all, it is about the funeral of the deceased, I dare not be careless.

Seeing that I didn't move, Mr. Fan's face sank, shook off the tobacco of his pipe, and said with some displeasure: "Sister, are you afraid that the old man will trick you?" ”

"No, it's just that Xiao Jiu can't understand why he wants to put it in the Tianshu position." I waved at him and said, "I hope you will always solve your doubts." ”

He was slightly stunned, stared at me for a while, and asked in a deep voice, "In your opinion, where should I put it?" ”

"Shake the light, as the saying goes, to play the dragon is to play the dragon's head, that day the pivot is the head of the Big Dipper Seven Star Array, which is equivalent to the head of the dragon, although you said that the paper furniture is very important, but, the heavenly pivot can only put a box and a house, only in this way is it in line with etiquette." I explained.

"Oh, you don't believe the old man?" He looked at me with a smile and said, "The old man has been working as a paper maker for fifty years since he was sixteen years old, do you think you know more than the old man?" ”

"There is no order to learn, and those who reach are the first." After saying this, I felt that it was a little too much, so I made another gesture at him and said apologetically: "Mr. Fan, it's not that Xiao Jiu doesn't believe you, it's really that your previous reasons are not enough to convince Xiao Jiu. ”

"Huh!" He frowned and sneered: "Good sentence, there is no order to learn, the master is the first, fine man, what you say is that the old man is not as good as you?" ”

As soon as I heard this, I hurriedly stopped and said, "Mr. Fan, you misunderstood, Xiao Jiu just thinks that those pieces of furniture should be placed in the position of 'shaking light'. ”

"Don't pull away from the topic, the old man will ask you, do you think the old man is inferior to you?" Mr. Fan said with a straight face.

As soon as I heard his tone, I finally knew why Lao Wang said that he had a strange temper, so I hurriedly bent over and said, "Mr. Fan, Xiao Jiu really didn't mean that, it's just... It's just..."

"Just what?" He said to me angrily.

"It's just that Xiao Jiu thinks that those pieces of furniture should really be placed in the 'shake light' position, and should not be placed in the Tianshu position as you always said." After saying this, I looked stunned and looked at him with my eyes.

"Since you think so, do it, why do you have to ask the old man? Since you asked the old man, why didn't you do what the old man wanted? He sneered, his tone became heavier and heavier, and said, "Are you playing old man?" ”

As he spoke, he rushed over and grabbed my arm, his strength was so great that I was vaguely in pain.

Now, I really can't figure it out, it's just a battle for position, do you need to do it? Thinking that he was an old man, I didn't resist, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly: "I asked you about the old man before, but Xiao Jiu was not sure where to put it in his heart, but the reason you said about the Tianshu position is really difficult to convince Xiao Jiu. ”

After listening to my words, he was stunned for a few seconds, and suddenly laughed, slapped me three times on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "Yes, worthy of being that person's apprentice." ”

I didn't understand what he meant, so I asked, "What are you old about?" ”

"Haha!" He laughed, nodded at me with satisfaction, and said, "Old man Tuo yelled at you Xiao Jiu, Xiao Jiu, the old man just tested you just now, and wanted to test your temperament." ”

I still didn't understand what he meant, so I asked suspiciously, "You...?" ”

He made a gesture to me asking for a cigarette, I took out a cigarette and handed it to him, he still crushed the cigarette as before, then sprinkled some tobacco in his pipe, lit it, took a few deep breaths, and said: "Funeral is like being a person, you must have a scale in your heart, weigh the pros and cons, not what others say and listen to anything, even if the other party's status is high and noble, you also need to grasp the scale in your heart." If one day, you leave Hengyang and go to another place, and you don't understand the customs of the new place, and you can't completely trust others, you have to measure the scale, understand? ”

Hearing this, I suddenly came to my senses, and after a long time, he was testing me just now, and hurriedly bent down towards him, saying, "What Mr. Fan taught me is that Xiao Jiu has been taught. ”

He ignored me, but shook his pipe, and said softly: "People live in the world, etiquette can not be abolished, and the ceremony focuses on mourning, this funeral is different from other customs, it is inherited, changing, developing, any era of funeral has absorbed the spiritual outlook of an era, affected by the economy and culture of that era, it inherits the ceremony, not the immutable ceremony." ”

Speaking of this, he stared at me a few times and said: "Xiao Jiu, there must be a degree of etiquette, not too pedantic, after all, we are living in the present, not in the past, the things handed down by our ancestors are not for us to remain unchanged, but to remove their flaws, take their essence, and add the things of our era into it, this is the real funeral." ”

After listening to his words, I fell into deep thought, this Mr. Fan's words are not unreasonable, all along, I have been guarding the funeral etiquette passed down by my ancestors, but I ignore that we are living in the present.

Seeing that I didn't speak, Mr. Fan patted me on the shoulder and said, "Xiao Jiu, think about the old man's words, in this life, it is not easy to do one thing well, the old man hopes that you will go farther in the funeral and don't stick to Hengyang." ”

I nodded, and was about to speak, when he stopped and said, "Well, after this funeral, you go out for a walk, see the funeral customs of various places, and then synthesize the funeral customs of various places, and if possible, write a book, biography, Chinese rites, extension, cultural glory, and make some contributions to the funeral." ”

"Going for a walk?" I asked, confused.

He nodded and said, "This is not only my meaning, but also your master's meaning. ”

"Who is my master?" I couldn't suppress the doubts in my heart any longer.

"Thou shalt not speak, thou shalt not speak." He stopped and gestured to me again, telling me to tinker with the paper-made furniture.

I didn't move, I was very puzzled, so I grabbed Mr. Fan and asked, "Mr. Fan, just tell Xiao Jiu, who is my master?" Otherwise, I'm always guessing in my heart. ”