Chapter 8

The village was small, but the scenery was beautiful. In no time, two days had passed since Wang Yang and his two companions arrived at Yan Pengchao's place.

Yan Pengchao's illness was indeed related to the inauspicious stove, but he also had some inherent health issues. Even after removing the two inauspicious elements, he still needed treatment. Unlike his father and younger brother, who immediately returned to normal after the inauspicious stove was removed.

Wang Yang didn't leave, partly because he was accompanying Yan Pengchao for his treatment, which was the main reason they came here in the first place, and partly because he helped the Yan family build a new kitchen. With his involvement, this new kitchen would definitely be auspicious, far better than the previous one.

Yan Fuming placed great importance on rebuilding the kitchen and followed Wang Yang's advice meticulously. Construction began early in the morning, and the progress was very fast.

Additionally, the news that the Yan family's inauspicious stove had affected the entire family quickly spread throughout the village, mainly through Yan Pengchao's cousins. They had witnessed Wang Yang performing the ritual the night before, and through their mouths, Wang Yang was portrayed as a 'highly skilled person,' a very capable one at that.

Even when Yan Pengchao took them up the mountain to enjoy the scenery, people they encountered on the way pointed and whispered about them.

Wang Yang didn't pay much attention to these comments. He wouldn't be staying for long. Yan Pengchao's lung condition had improved significantly and no longer required hospitalization. A few days of intravenous drips at the clinic and some medication would suffice, so they didn't need to stay any longer. They had already decided to return home the next day, each to their own home.

They had been on summer vacation for many days and hadn't returned home yet. Now, they were all missing their families.

After returning home, they didn't know when they would come back here again. They naturally wouldn't care about what others said. Since they were leaving the next day, Yan Pengchao specially took them up the mountain to enjoy the scenery. This area belonged to the Funiu Mountain range, which had not been developed, and the natural beauty was different from that of tourist attractions.

The mountain scenery was indeed beautiful. The four of them played there for almost a whole day before returning. They had brought their own food for lunch and ate it on the mountain, much like how hikers enjoy wild trails, except their wild trail was right at their doorstep.

"Father, do we have guests at home?"

As soon as the four of them returned, Yan Pengchao noticed a car parked outside the house, a BMW, and could see several people sitting in the living room, so he asked.

"Uncle Ma Qiang is here!"

Yan Fuming came out of the living room, answering Yan Pengchao but looking at Wang Yang. Two more people soon followed him out, one of whom was around forty, dressed and behaving differently from the others, and the other was Yan Pengchao's cousin whom Wang Yang had met before.

"Which one is Mr. Wang?"

The man asked, and Yan Pengchao and Sun He immediately looked at Wang Yang. The man quickly understood and walked over, holding a box of soft Zhonghua cigarettes, offering them to the group.

Among the four, only Sun He smoked, and the others didn't take the cigarettes. The man didn't mind, smiling and saying, "Mr. Wang is indeed young, a hero emerges from the young. I am Ma Qiang, also from this village. I came today with a request for Mr. Wang!"

The man was straightforward, directly stating his purpose. Wang Yang's eyebrows twitched, but he didn't answer immediately, turning to look at Yan Pengchao.

"This is Uncle Ma Qiang from our village. He does business outside and is a contractor, earning a lot of money. He is the richest person in our village. Despite his wealth, he has a good reputation. He has taken many young people from the village who didn't go to school, and he has never delayed their wages. When I was admitted to university, my family was tight on money, and he helped me with 5,000 yuan for tuition!"

Yan Pengchao whispered quickly in Wang Yang's ear. Since the man had helped him, he felt he should speak well of him, regardless of whether Wang Yang would agree to help or not.

"Mr. Ma, you are too kind. Please tell me what you need. If I can help, I will definitely not refuse!"

Wang Yang smiled. This man was indeed from the village and had helped Yan Pengchao, so he wasn't a stranger. However, since he didn't know the man, he didn't make any promises, only saying he would help if he could, and if it was beyond his ability, he would apologize.

"Let's go inside, it's quite hot outside!"

Yan Fuming said. The living room didn't have an air conditioner but had a ceiling fan, which made it cooler. It was mid-summer, and even at the foot of the mountain, it was very hot.

Yan Fuming looked at Wang Yang again, with a hint of guilt in his eyes. The man had come to see Wang Yang, and Wang Yang was now their family's savior, but he hadn't even greeted him, feeling very embarrassed.

However, this couldn't be entirely blamed on him. Ma Qiang had come suddenly and had only just arrived, and he hadn't had time to notify Wang Yang. Moreover, Ma Qiang had helped their family many times in the past. Whenever they were short on money, Ma Qiang had lent them money. When Yan Pengchao was admitted to university, Ma Qiang had even sponsored 5,000 yuan for tuition, refusing to be repaid, saying it was a gift for the child to eat well and study hard at school.

"Mr. Wang, I came to you after hearing about the situation at the Yan family. It was indeed presumptuous, but the matter is urgent, and I hope you can understand!"

In the living room, Ma Qiang apologized first before slowly explaining his purpose.

Ma Qiang grew up in this village, and his family was poor when he was young. Later, he went out to work, starting as a bricklayer and gradually becoming a successful contractor with assets worth millions, making him the richest person in the village.

Because many people in the village had helped his family when they were poor, he gave back a lot to the village. He donated money to build several classrooms for the village primary school, so the children didn't have to travel far to other villages to attend school.

Ma Qiang's mother had passed away long ago, and he had an elderly father, who was now seventy-three years old. As the saying goes, "At seventy-three and eighty-four, the old man will not call, but you will go." These two ages are critical for the elderly. Ma Qiang's father had a hard time with this, having been hospitalized since the end of last year and not yet discharged. This month, the hospital had issued three critical condition notices, urging the family to prepare.

The Ma family had an ancestral grave outside the village. Normally, Ma Qiang's father would be buried there after his passing. However, fifteen years ago, Ma Qiang's father met an elderly feng shui master. By chance, Ma Qiang's father helped the old man, and to repay the favor, the old man rearranged their home and gave Ma Qiang specific instructions for his business.

Ma Qiang's true success began after the old man left. They never touched anything the old man had arranged, and Ma Qiang strictly followed the old man's instructions without any negligence.

Fifteen years ago, Ma Qiang was not yet thirty. To say he had strictly followed the old man's advice all these years would be incorrect. In his youthful arrogance, he had deviated from the old man's instructions a few times, and each time, something went wrong.

The old man had given him three specific instructions for his business: first, never cooperate with people born in the Year of the Monkey; second, never hire employees from more than 300 miles away; third, never work after midnight.

He violated the first rule the following year. At that time, his business was just starting to pick up, and he wanted to take on a large mall renovation project. The mall owner was born in the Year of the Monkey. Thinking the project would be very profitable, he took it on, but an accident occurred during the renovation, nearly costing lives and almost bankrupting him.

Three years later, to meet a tight deadline, he ordered his subordinates to work 24 hours a day. On the first night, the pile driver broke down and injured two workers.

Five years later, he met a young and attractive girl, and he made a small mistake. The girl wanted to join his company, and after much hesitation, he finally agreed. Three days after the girl joined, the company faced a series of inspections from tax, industry, and fire departments due to some loopholes, nearly forcing him to close down. Not only that, but his child also suddenly fell seriously ill. It was only after he completely sent the girl away that the situation ended.

After that, he never dared to violate these three rules again, and his business continued to thrive, and his life improved.

"Besides these instructions, the old man also gave a special warning. He said my father's destiny was unique, and he could not be buried in the ancestral grave, or the ancestors would not rest in peace, and the descendants would suffer. My father was always healthy before, so I didn't pay much attention. But this year, his health suddenly deteriorated, and I thought about finding a better place to bury him, preferably not too far from us. Can you help with this?"

Ma Qiang slowly explained his purpose. His father was now in a coma in the hospital, and he might pass away at any time. He came to Wang Yang to ask him to find a feng shui site for his father's burial.

In fact, as early as last year, when his father's condition worsened, he had tried to find the old man, but the old man had passed away seven years ago. There was nothing he could do.

"This is not impossible, but I am so young, does Mr. Ma really trust me?"

Wang Yang was silent for a moment before raising his head and speaking softly. The *Huangji Jing Shi* has 108 volumes, including three volumes on yang residences, three on yin residences, and three on breaking the yin and yang residences. The inauspicious stove falls under yang residences, while finding a feng shui site for burial falls under yin residences, which Wang Yang could also do.

Ma Qiang smiled slightly and said, "So please forgive me, Mr. Wang. Could you show your skills again? If I can see that you are truly knowledgeable, I will definitely reward you generously after this matter is resolved!"

After his father was hospitalized, he had sought help from others, but there were few people who understood this field. Whenever he asked to see their true abilities, he was either refused or disappointed. With his busy business, he had given up on the idea and planned to bury his father in the county cemetery, where he had already bought a plot. His father, understanding that he could not be buried in the ancestral grave, had bought the plot himself.

However, Ma Qiang's thoughts differed from his father's. Not being able to enter the ancestral grave was a form of punishment, and he wanted his father to have a true feng shui site after death. That's why he sought out people who understood feng shui, and burying his father in the cemetery was his last resort.