Chapter 11
Yang energy dominated the old house as Zhang Lisheng opened the heavy wooden door to the crowd . The Guawo villagers who did not mind walked into the legendary Zhang family's old house for the first time .
As the old house did not get much sun due to its location in the hollow part of the hillside, the drop in temperature was significant as soon as the people stepped into the courtyard . However, as more and more people entered, it slowly did not seem to be as chilly any longer .
Tao Lielin felt a chill after walking into the old house . He lifted his spirit after a shiver and instructed the young men to work, "Carry the body of Shan Chongzi's father to the middle of the central house . We're in charge of the cooler coffin, come to me afterward for that matter .
"Ermu, light the big incense on the offering table then go to your seventh uncle's house to get a new memorial tablet . Carve 'Lord Zhang Daowu, the Immortal Wizard of Li Mountain' on it . Remember, it's 'Lord Zhang Daowu, the Immortal Wizard of Li Mountain', don't get it wrong .
"Tugou, Yangzhi, Qiaogong, get a few pails of water from the well and wipe all of the doors inside and outside of the house…"
In the ancient Miaowei customs, the title 'Lord' referred to tigers for beasts, and wizards for humans .
Naturally, the word 'wizard' carved on the memorial tablet evolved into 'sorcerer', and such a respectful way of addressing a person would only be used after the person passed away . Meanwhile, the psychics that the villagers around believed in would usually be addressed as 'father' .
Upon hearing Tao Lielin's instructions, the Guawo Villagers went their separate ways; the young men got busy in the Zhang family's old house, while the elders left one by one to make fire and cook at home .
Everyone had something to do except Zhang Lisheng, who was the only one standing in the central room . However, as soon as he acquired the hemp blanket, he had a task of his own which was to kneel by the cooler coffin and entertain the visitors .
The Miaowei's mourning would take in thousands of visitors whether they knew the family or not . As long as there were visitors, the host family would have to entertain them . Usually, the son of the family member who passed away would have to kowtow and treat the guests to a feast of nine meat dishes and nine vegetable dishes .
Zhang Lisheng would spend more than ten hours each day from morning to night kneeling beside his father's body and thanking the visitors that came . Apart from the few relatives he had, most of the visitors that came were tourists who visited the mountain village . At the end of the five-day mourn, he was exhausted and looked extra tired .
The tourists were very excited to bear witness to an authentic Miaowei funeral . Some of the tourists who came on their own had intentionally extended their vacation just to stay in Guawo Village to wait for Zhang Daowu to be buried .
Meanwhile, the Guawo Villagers who came to help with the mourning in the old house slowly felt that the Zhang family's old house was not special anymore . Human's biggest fear was the unknown, and after the mystery was revealed, the Zhang family's old house was just another old house to them .
Finally, it was the last day of mourning . Almost all female and male adults of Guawo Village gathered around in the afternoon . Together with the tourists who were there to watch, the Zhang family's old house was congested with people . Even the stone roads outside were filled with people who were standing .
Tao Lielin, with a red blanket put on his shoulder, was officiating the burial ceremony . Staring at his mobile phone with his head down, he realized that the auspicious time was coming soon . As he lifted his head, he turned on the microphone and blew into it . After confirming the system was working from the sound of his blow, he then said loudly, "Please be quiet, please be quiet . "
"The auspicious time has come, we're sending off the lord…"
Suddenly, as Tao Lielin was speaking halfway through, he saw a path form between the villagers as they squeezed each other . Clad in black Miaowei clothes from head to toe, the old village chief Tian Jiushi walked towards him slowly .
"Grandpa Jiushi, w-why are you here…"
"It's Brother Daowu's last journey . Naturally, I'll have to be here to send him off . " Tian Jiushi had never once shown himself during the mourning of Zhang Daowu . Stunned, Tao Lielin let Tian Jiushi take the microphone from his hand . Tian Jiushi, with his voice raised, said, "It's the auspicious time now . I, Tian Jiushi, will send lord Zhang Daowu off . "
Tian Jiushi took the red blanket from Tao Lielin's shoulder and covered the top of Zhang Daowu's corpse with it .
As the deceased was covered up, the orchestra began to play immediately . A couple of strong, middle-aged Miaowei women carried Zhang Daowu's corpse, carefully placed it in the wooden coffin beside, and covered it with the coffin cover .
Zhang Lisheng stumbled as he got up from his kneeling position on the ground . With a wooden hammer, he pounded on the thick nail on the coffin cover as a ceremonial symbol . Soon after, hunks dressed in Miaowei clothes with black cloth wrapped around their heads spread out around all four sides and pounded all sixteen nails tightly on the coffin cover .
Among the tourists who were watching in the old house's courtyard was a young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes . He was bored as he watched the hunks pounding on the thick nails with big hammers . He said softly to his partner, "Third Brother, isn't this similar to our Chinese funeral?"
"I thought these Miaowei people would kill a bear or boar for blood sacrifice . I didn't expect that apart from no cremation, there would be nothing worth watching . "
"You want to see something rare? It's not difficult at all . Look at the one-sided carved insect-patterned grimace stone mask that's hanging above the offering table in the central room .
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