After rebirth, I still experienced a mess

42 Two Barley Fields at a Time

Xiao Wei, who was born and raised in the countryside, was familiar with the various rural customs. When he left in the morning, he specifically told Jiang Yingying to tell the master craftsman at the woodworking company about her family situation when buying a coffin.

"It's very suitable. Don't worry, the owner of the coffin shop won't make a mistake."

There are rules for what size and type of coffin one should have, depending on one's status. Xiao Wei doesn't understand, but the coffin shop owner will ask for clarification.

After looking at the coffin, two elders from other families came up to him with crutches to ask about the price. Xiao Wei could ignore others, but not the old people. Xiao Wei really didn't know the specific price, so he could only say vaguely: "My godfather bought it for me, I really don't know how much it cost."

Someone teased, "Don't ask, old man. Even if we tell you, we can't even get Xiao Wei's price. We may not be able to buy it even at double the price."

"Xiao Wei's godfather is the president of a cooperative, and the woodworking company is just a small branch. This coffin might not even cost money."

"That's right. Who dares to accept money from the president's daughter? Do you still want to do this?"

Xiao Wei wanted to correct it, but she couldn't explain it to these people, so she had to hold it in.

The village chief sat down at the table and asked if the date was right. Wang Youfu, who had been following Xiao Wei, said, "The three old brothers are still discussing it and haven't started yet."

"What's there to discuss about the date?"

"It seems that they are discussing whether to hold a celebration banquet for Xiao Wei first, or to hold the funeral first."

As big problems are solved, new ones arise.

Before his death, the old man instructed that even if he didn't have a funeral, he should hold a celebration banquet for Xiao Wei. According to the old rules, the wedding can't be put after the funeral. The reason is: how can you be happy after the funeral. There is a saying: after the father dies, you can't cry for three years, otherwise it is unfilial.

In the old man's opinion, celebrating Xiao Wei's graduation is more important than his own funeral.

Xiao Wei's father had two older brothers who had long since separated from their parents. In normal times, the two uncles would not interfere with Xiao Wei's family affairs, as funeral arrangements for their elders were different, so the eldest uncle usually had the final say.

My uncle believes that it doesn’t matter whether or not to hold the celebration banquet, and it can be held at any time, but the funeral cannot wait, and the most important thing is to bury the old man in peace.

The mother said unhappily, "You are just jealous of my little Wei's success. If you have the ability, you can have a child too."

The second uncle said angrily, "What kind of words are these? Don't you know that the dead are the greatest?"

The eldest and second uncles were better off, but they did not support my father in his old age, saying that their property had been given to Xiaowei's family, and there was always unhappiness between them.

In the past, Xiao Wei's parents didn't dare to offend him. They thought they were related by blood and expected him to help them at critical moments, so they always endured it. Now Xiao Wei has given them enough confidence, how could they endure it anymore? "Doesn't the old man's last words count?"

My father said firmly: "The old man lived with me, and I was the one who took care of the funeral. I have the final say on this matter."

The second uncle was not convinced: "You got a larger share of the family property, so the old man followed you. The final funeral is different, we have to follow the rules."

The mother said angrily, "You just don't want my Xiao Wei to be glorious, and you just can't stand seeing my family doing well."

The second uncle said, "We agreed that the funeral expenses will be shared equally, and the eldest brother will decide how to proceed."

My father snorted coldly: "Then let's do this. I will pay for the expenses alone, and you don't have to worry about how to arrange the funeral."

The uncle said, "We can't afford to be accused of being unfilial and be scolded by others."

The mother said, "You can decide if you want to, but pay for the coffin first."

Second uncle said, "Did you discuss the purchase of such a fine coffin with us? Did you approve my gift? Do you really have no rules at all?"

As interests were involved, the uncle was eager to help out: "It is totally against the rules to use such a good coffin. You made the decision without authorization. It has nothing to do with us. We can only pay according to the normal cost."

The mother did not show any weakness: "Are you afraid of the coffin? Is this how you honor your elders?"

Second uncle: "These are two different things. You were the first to break the rules."

The noises grew louder and louder, and everyone became so anxious that they were ready to fight.

The village chief said angrily: "The old rule is that happy events take priority. I think it would be better for Xiao Wei to make the decision on this matter."

The two uncles usually didn't take Xiao Wei seriously. Oh, it seemed that no one took Xiao Wei seriously. Xiao Wei was too lazy to care and even hoped that they quarreled as loudly as possible. He had no intention of intervening at all.

Now that the village chief has drawn the fire to himself, he has no choice but to state: "I don't know any rules. You have the final say. I will not participate."

The eldest sister-in-law also said: "The elders have the final say on this matter, we just have to do as they say."

The three old brothers were arguing again and wanted to seek the opinions of a few elders. However, with the village chief who had seen the world in front of them, the old hands would not seek trouble for themselves. They just said that Xiaowei's family's matter was rare and there was no precedent, and they were ambiguous and pretended to be confused.

Everyone was confused and suggested asking a fortune teller to make the decision. He said that the fortune teller was knowledgeable and well-informed, and was familiar with all kinds of taboos, so he must have encountered this kind of situation before.

Xiao Wei knew very well that the two uncles did not want to pay for the coffin, nor did they want to be branded as unfilial, and they did not want to see Xiao Wei's family get promoted and make money, which would reduce their sense of superiority in the family and the village. Therefore, even though Xiao Wei did not care about the coffin money, she did not want them to succeed.

The Yin-Yang master proposed a compromise: "An old man in his seventies is already past the age of seventy, so it can be considered a happy funeral and can be treated as a happy event."

The village chief applauded: "Then we can hold two happy events at the same time, and thresh two crops of barley at once. This way it won't be against the old man's last wish."

When a professional like Mr. Yin Yang spoke, everyone applauded and said, "This is the best way."

Mr. Yin Yang smiled and said, "It's just that it's hard to choose a date. It has to be suitable for both burial and blessing. It should be a double-happy date. After all, it's two different things."

The uncle understood the hidden meaning and said generously, "We'll pay double the amount."

Xiao Wei smiled but didn't say anything. But Mr. Yin Yang still saw it and looked at Xiao Wei: "You are just a beggar. I'm sorry to make you laugh."

Xiao Wei shook his head: "It makes sense."

Then, the Yin-Yang master started to work. He first asked about the old man's date of birth and time of death. Then he asked about the zodiac signs of the whole family, and specifically asked about Xiao Wei's date of birth. He counted on his fingers and studied for a long time. Then, with a blank face, he decided the date and time of the funeral, as well as the taboos. He wrote seven lists on a large white paper, and finally completed the first step.

The second step is to visit the cemetery.

Xiao Wei's grandmother had passed away for more than 30 years, and the grave had long been covered by trees and weeds, so the exact location was unclear. But the fortune teller took out the compass, turned it a few times, looked around, and quickly determined the exact location. Then he determined the location for Xiao Wei's grandfather to be buried on the edge of the grave, and used the prepared willow stakes to nail the central axis of the coffin's placement direction.