Chapter Sixty-One: Bai Shi Street
e.But the grotto is an exception.No one knows how the grotto appeared, only that it connects to the ethereal heavens. The danger that all tribes on the floating land must face comes from the ethereal...Near Xiao Lian Bridge, there are no bridges for ten miles. It's unknown why it is called that. It has just continued this way.
But here, paper figures, wreaths, coffins... all kinds of funeral-related shops are available. It is a famous mourning street in Linzi City.
Lao Zhang's Coffin Shop is the fourth one from the left on Xiao Lianqiao. The boss, according to legend, has been in the business for three generations, as has his family before him. He's quite well-known.
The storefront is of medium size. A black curtain hangs over the entrance, and there is no one out front to greet customers.
Undertakers have taboos, especially when it comes to coffins, which are not supposed to be exposed to sunlight.
Attract customers through these methods is also not right, it all comes from oneself. At most, it's like Lao Zhang, who has a few generations of craftsmanship and a good reputation.
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Xu Xiangqian lifted the curtain and entered, opening his mouth to ask, "Boss! Is my birthday material ready"
A thin figure was sitting between several coffins, eating rice. He must be the owner of this coffin shop, Lao Zhang from White Death Street.
Hearing the voice, he raised his head and glanced. He put down his bowl and chopsticks, walked over, and said, "Mr. Xu, I have prepared everything according to your instructions."
His voice was thin and cold, as if it had never seen the sunlight.
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The studious scholar Xu, considering himself to be upright and incorruptible, had no qualms about such a place. He looked around and asked, "Where is it"
"Here, Mr. Xu, please come over and have a look," Old Zhang gestured with his hand.
He hesitated for a moment, then added a reminder: "Don't look at other people's birthday gifts too much, it might bring bad luck."
Jiang Wang remained silent throughout, allowing Xu Xiangqian to handle the communication.
Xu Xiangqian, however, remained polite and showed no displeasure: "You remind me."
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Outside, in the room, there were two rows of coffins, eleven in total, an odd number.
There are still rooms inside, it's not very easy to go in and have a look.
Xu Xiangqian's pre-ordered coffin was in the third position of the second row. Just from its appearance, one could tell that the craftsmanship was not ordinary.
Xu Xiangqian reached out and touched it, feeling the texture: "Very good, not bad, good craftsmanship. The wood is also good."
Lao Zhang wasn't being humble either, using that low and husky voice to say, "I take the work of making a living seriously."
Jiang Wang also stepped forward to take a look, and indeed felt quite good about it. It wasn't perfunctory.
“Alright!” Xu Xiangqian glanced at Jiang Wang’s expression and clapped his hands. “Trouble the boss to find two people to help me carry this, follow me to pick up my poor family members, then go straight to our burial.”
“That’s no problem, there are plenty of young men willing to lend a hand for such a small bridge.” Old Zhang replied, but his feet remained planted.
Xu Xiangqian nodded: "Then I'll trouble you."
"Ahem." Lao Zhang coughed lightly, rubbing his hands a little awkwardly: "This, the money for the longevity..."
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Xu Xiangqian was surprised and asked, "Didn't we already pay"
“Mr. Xu, you only paid the deposit back then...”
“Oh, I see.” Xu Xiangqian just remembered it and then said, “It’s okay, I’ll get it back to you later.”
"Mr. Xu," Lao Zhang was very embarrassed: "This is made of gold silk nanmu, the wood alone costs quite a bit, plus the wages of the carpenter..."
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"Hi, what's the matter Is this an emergency, didn't you bring any money"
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Xu Xiangqian spoke smoothly, drawing a token from his waist: "Boss, do you know the Qingya Courtyard"
Qingya Academy, located in Linzi, has a certain reputation.
Old Zhang said, "That's a top-notch academy. Of course I know it."
“I am the master of Qingshan Residence. Take this seal to the headmaster, he will reimburse you for the money you spent on your way here, not a single copper coin less!”
"Oh, of course I trust Qingshan Courtyard. It doesn't matter if it's a little sooner or later." Lao Zhang apologized and clasped his hands together. "My apologies, Mr. Xu!"
Although I said so, I still took the private letter promptly from his hand.
And Jiang Wang also noticed that he had flipped through the entire private letter in an extremely short time, probably identifying its authenticity in a unique way - of course, it was genuine, Xu Xiangqian was indeed the real master of Qingya Pavilion. Of course, whether or not Dean Liu was willing to reimburse him was another matter entirely.
Xu Xiangqian let out a hum from his nose: "Go find someone, my family must be waiting anxiously."
Old Zhang hastily lifted the curtain and went out. It seemed that he truly trusted the scholar of Qingya Courtyard and didn't even wait for a shop assistant to come back and keep an eye on the store before leaving.
Jiang Wang glanced at Xu Xiangqian, the meaning was very clear - Will Dean Liu help you pay Don't swindle these people who make a living by their craft.
Xu Xiangqian replied with a reassuring look and said, "Whether I'm struggling or not, he doesn't care, but the reputation of the academy, he definitely cares about."
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That's not wrong.
It's just... back then, in the academy, Xu Xiangqian said he handled the money matter effortlessly, but I didn't expect it to be this effortless!
First, he attempted to borrow on credit, but when that failed, he shifted the responsibility back to Qingshan Villa. Now, for the next few decades, Liu, the Headmaster, was forced to pay his stipend, whether he wanted to or not.
While Lao Zhang was out looking for someone to carry the coffin, Xu Xiangqian went outside again, or more precisely, next door to the paper figurine shop.
"Boss, two paper figures. Make them pretty!"
This shop wasn't covered with black curtains; even paper figures deserve to be illuminated nicely.
Sitting in the store was a middle-aged man with a wooden expression.
He sat on a stool, his hands skillfully working away. He didn't raise his head in response to the words, only saying: "They are all laid out here. Take whichever one you like."
“Ahem, ahem!” Xu Xiangqian feigned a look around, coughed a few times to get the middle-aged man's attention, and then said, “I’ll just take it myself. I’ll return the money later.”
To everyone's surprise, the middle-aged man tied with paper figures and just replied, "Okay."
Jiang Wang stood at the doorway of the coffin shop, glancing this way and that. He thought the man didn't look like someone in the business of selling things. Of course, his attention was mostly focused on the peddler who had already walked back and forth down the street six times.
He had left Xia Shan's residence and gone to Qingya Courtyard, then to Xiao Lian Bridge. He had seen this man over ten times already. He had changed his clothes and appearance several times, but the pair of boots with a shallow diagonal tear remained unchanged—to someone observant, that was striking enough.
At the paper-cut shop's door, people didn't mind if he would default on his debt. Xu Xiangqian, on the other hand, got even more spirited: "You don't even ask who I am, where I live, what will happen if I default on my debt, how will you find me to get your money back"
The middle-aged man's busy hands paused, he raised his head to glance at Xu Xiangqian, pausing especially on that unusually high forehead for a few breaths before speaking plainly: "You look like an important person, you can't let me keep this money."
"That's right." Xu Xiangqian nodded in agreement: "Then let's add two more, to make a pair. My family has suffered quite a bit; at least over there it's lively."
“This...” Even a middle-aged man who can't do business should feel embarrassed, making paper figures.
"Oh, rest assured, look at me, I'm so talented, how could I deceive you" Xu Xiangqian comforted. "I'll come often in the future and take good care of your business!"
The middle-aged man with a wooden expression glanced at him, seeming to have something to say but holding back.
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But that look clearly held some suspicion.
My business... can I come back oftenhe Nujing Gang, they had nothing to do with them. Yet, these two were arguing until their faces were red.This is a common scene in everyday life. It's smoke, and it's fire.>Jiang Wang wasn't bothered...