Chapter 7

"Father, the funeral relocation ceremony for the village head Ma is quite grand, isn't it?" Wang Baoyu couldn't help but ask as he followed Jia Zhengdao into the courtyard.

"Rubbish, it's his father's funeral relocation, not his own," Jia Zhengdao corrected Wang Baoyu, who couldn't help but chuckle. Jia Zhengdao whispered, "Baoyu, did you see? Even a funeral relocation can be a way to make money."

Wang Baoyu nodded, understanding. Dongfeng Village had a total of 390 households, and who would dare not attend the village head's event? Even if it was just a small amount, if each household gave 10 yuan as a gift, Ma Shunxi would have nearly 4,000 yuan in income, not to mention those who tried to curry favor.

Wang Baoyu secretly admired Ma Shunxi. The village head was indeed clever; even though his father had been dead for twenty years, he could still use it to make money. Truly, he knew how to make money, and his father had truly "died in the right place."

Just then, Wang Baoyu saw a familiar figure. Who was it? His neighbor, Li Xiuzhi.

Li Xiuzhi took advantage of the few people at the gift table and walked up. The accountant, Zhang Shiqu, without lifting his head, asked, "How much?"

Li Xiuzhi whispered, "Five yuan!"

Zhang Shiqu looked up, seemingly not hearing clearly, and asked again, "How much?"

Li Xiuzhi's face turned red, and she placed the money on the table, then turned to leave. Behind her, Zhang Shiqu's mocking voice echoed, "Li Xiuzhi, five yuan!" His loud voice caused a group of men to start jeering, "Not a bad price! Five yuan is worth it! Ha ha!"

Li Xiuzhi was very angry and turned to glare at Zhang Shiqu, cursing, "You have a bad heart! Your mother only sells for five yuan!"

Zhang Shiqu wasn't angry and said, "My mother is over sixty, I doubt she could even sell for five yuan. You should sell instead!" This caused a burst of laughter from the crowd.

Wang Baoyu secretly smiled. Li Xiuzhi was indeed stingy, even being stingy about the village head's event. However, being able to get ten yuan from her showed that he was quite capable.

Today, Jia Zhengdao was wearing a black cotton long coat, with a row of cloth buttons that made him look very straight and proper. In such occasions, he never smiled or joked, and the villagers greeted him as he passed by. This wasn't surprising, as Jia Zhengdao was considered a learned man in Dongfeng Village.

Ma Shunxi came out of the house and walked a few steps to greet Jia Zhengdao, leading him into the east room. Fragrant tea was already prepared, and there were a few small pastries on the table. Jia Zhengdao drank a cup of tea and, without delay, urged everyone to set off quickly.

As they spoke, several large horse-drawn carriages stopped in front of Ma Shunxi's courtyard. Wang Baoyu followed Jia Zhengdao onto the second carriage, along with several strong men who would dig the grave. The shovels and other tools were scattered at their feet.

On the first carriage, Wang Baoyu saw a significant figure, the village party secretary, Chi Licai, who was accompanied by several village officials, apparently also eager to see the spectacle.

Seeing everyone gathered, Ma Shunxi jumped onto the carriage where Chi Licai was and announced the departure. The hooves clattered, and the carriages jolted along the road, passing through several streets and over a few hills. Before they could even settle in, the road ahead came to an end, and everyone got off the carriages.

"Knowing it was so close, I should have walked. My butt is sore from the jolting!" Wang Baoyu muttered under his breath. Jia Zhengdao quickly glared at him, reminding him that the distance didn't matter; the village head needed to save face.

The grave site chosen by Jia Zhengdao for Ma Shunxi's father was on a gentle slope of a small mountain shaped like a winnowing basket, with a small stream flowing around it below.

The group walked up the mountain to the destination. Jia Zhengdao asked Wang Baoyu to take out a compass from his bag and, with a very serious expression, placed it down. He consulted the compass, looking around in all directions, muttering to himself and frowning from time to time.

The crowd began to quiet down, all eyes fixed on Jia Zhengdao's every move, afraid that a single word or disrespectful act might ruin the feng shui.

After moving the compass to several places, Jia Zhengdao's face showed a hint of a smile, and he said, "This is the spot."

Ma Shunxi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and stepped forward to ask quietly, "Master Jia, what are the feng shui principles of this place?"

Jia Zhengdao stroked his beard and pointed, saying, "Village head Ma, look, this place faces southeast, with a view in front and support behind. The stream in front embraces it affectionately, and the mountains behind bring the dragon's vein. On the left is the Green Dragon, and on the right is the White Tiger. The front has the shape of a writing desk, and the back conceals wealth. This place not only brings wealth and official success but also ensures that future generations will produce scholars."

Jia Zhengdao's words made Ma Shunxi's mouth stretch almost to his ears in a smile. He urged, "I will follow Master Jia's arrangements. Let's choose this spot."

With Jia Zhengdao's command, "Start digging!" the strong men began to dig with their shovels. After lighting a cigarette for Jia Zhengdao, Ma Shunxi, perhaps out of joy, gave Wang Baoyu a cigarette and then went to distribute cigarettes to the village party secretary Chi Licai and the other village officials.

Just then, Wang Baoyu suddenly felt his stomach rumbling, and a pain came on, as if he needed to defecate. He whispered to his adoptive father, Jia Zhengdao, "Father, my stomach hurts. I need to find a place to go to the bathroom."

Jia Zhengdao said, "A lazy donkey always has many problems. Go quickly and come back soon. We'll be done and heading down the mountain soon."

Wang Baoyu hurried to a small grove of trees about a hundred meters away, quickly pulled down his pants, and with a "plop plop" sound, a foul odor accompanied the release of a large pile of feces, giving him an indescribable sense of relief.

He pulled up his pants and, from the pocket of his Zhongshan suit, took out a match to light a cigarette, preparing to return. At that moment, he saw two people walking toward him, smoking and talking.

He recognized both of them: the village party secretary, Chi Licai, and the militia captain, Gong Xiangjun. Seeing their expressions, it seemed they were discussing something private. Wang Baoyu, intrigued, hid behind the trees to listen to their conversation.

Speaking of the militia captain, Gong Xiangjun, Wang Baoyu felt a surge of anger. It wasn't because Gong Xiangjun had a grudge against him, but because Gong Xiangjun was just a bumbling fool with no abilities. In times of peace, there was no need for a militia, yet he still held the position of militia captain and earned the salary of a village official, all because his uncle was the mayor of Liuhetown.

Despite his anger, Wang Baoyu perked up his ears. As Chi Licai and Gong Xiangjun approached, they first unbuttoned their pants and urinated, with Chi Licai asking while urinating, "Xiangjun, how is the matter I asked you to go to your uncle, Mayor Li, progressing?"

Gong Xiangjun replied, "Secretary, rest assured, everything is taken care of!"