Jiangshi Universe · Chat

In the autumn of the eleventh year of the Republic of China, the old locust tree in the courtyard of the mortuary began to shed its leaves. Master Jiushu squatted under the corridor grinding cinnabar, the powder in the stone mortar already as fine as could be. Tomorrow he was to attend a tea meeting in town—Master Yam's Western tea party, which supposedly featured a pastry chef back from the provincial capital. But the tea was merely an excuse; the real business to discuss was a reburial: the grave of the old Master Yam had been there for twenty years, and it was time to exhume it. "Master, wear that new Taoist robe tomorrow." Qiusheng, having returned from his aunt's house to fetch some clean clothes, leaned against the doorframe, his voice carrying an unmistakable hint of regret. "Master Yam's family puts on quite a show. We can't let them look down on our mortuary. If only there wasn't no one to watch Auntie's shop tomorrow—" "Watching the shop is more important," Master Jiushu said without looking up. "Go call your junior brother back from the rice shop. Tell him to stop staring at the boss weighing the rice—it's useless anyway, he can't tell if it's been adulterated or not." Wencai indeed couldn't tell. He was currently squatting at the entrance of the rice shop, drawing talismans on the ground with a twig, glancing into the shop with every stroke. The rice shop owner, stared at by him all afternoon, finally couldn't take it anymore and gave him an extra half-catty of glutinous rice. Overjoyed, Wencai ran back, but tripped and fell halfway. The glutinous rice scattered all over the ground. He crawled on the floor, picking them up grain by grain, muttering, "Master said we mustn't waste." The autumn wind seeped through the cracks of the mortuary door, making the white shrouds in the morgue sway gently. Master Jiushu set down the stone mortar, walked to the altar, and lit three sticks of incense. Tomorrow he would be drinking Western tea and discussing the grave relocation; tonight, he had to draw a few more talismans—who knew what trouble would brew once they stepped out of the door. <choice_group> <choice id="1">Change the direction of the topic</choice> <choice id="2">Observe the current details</choice> <choice id="3">Advance the current plot</choice> </choice_group>