The wizard said that he had met an oracle in a dream and asked him to donate the tomb he planned to use for his own use to Masan for a thousand dollars. After Zheng Anping expressed his embarrassment, he took the initiative to lower the price to 500 from the local agency. Zheng Anping wanted to make another counteroffer, and Li Chang said: "Since the deceased is a member of the country, even though he is a humble concubine, he dare not forget it. Young master, I can only say what I can do, and I will inherit the rest!"
Zheng Anping couldn't bargain anymore with the village chief's statement, so he had to say: "Mr. Xu's gift is a bunch of money, cloth and other items. I don't dare to lack it. Seeing that the Qin army is about to retreat, my brother may not be able to get the reward for his merits." , if there is any shortage, I am willing to pay for it!”
The head of the village continued: "Yes, yes! Master Zheng has made great achievements, and the reward will be quite a lot." Turning to the wizard, he said: "The rest will be taken from my house. There is no harm in rewarding Master Zheng when he has more time!" "
Zheng Anping said: "How can I repay the kindness of the elders with such humility!"
The headmaster came out of the hall and called out: "Ji'er, your mother is here to bring you a hundred coins!" Then he came in, pointed at Zheng Anping and said to the wizard: "What can you do about your master? You have achieved great achievements that are unparalleled! Do you know this?" Saving Lord Xinling with his own body, he was severely injured, and almost died, isn't it a sign of great nobility! The former encountered thieves on the way, one of the five soldiers of Liang Xiyi was killed and four were injured, the young master was the most seriously injured. Can you get a clue? Such bravery Such a generation! What do you think of the young master?"
The wizard really looked at Zheng Anping intently, and suddenly he fell over and bowed: "Young Master is a general, please forgive the villain for his blindness, greed for small profits, and disloyalty!"
Zheng Anping hurriedly returned the greeting and said: "How dare you, boy! I came from a humble background, lived in a foreign country, and joined the army as a foot soldier. I am lucky to be able to keep my head until I grow old! How dare I look at him!"
The wizard said: "You are not a villain who dares to speak nonsense. If you respect me, you must be noble. I will make you a king and a general!"
Zheng Anping didn't want to talk to him anymore and ended by saying, "If you say this, you will be rewarded generously!"
At this time, Ji'er came over holding a bunch of money and reported in front of the door. The chief took the money, asked Ji'er to step back, and handed the money to the wizard, saying, "Sir, keep this for now. If you need it again, you can take it again."
With the head of the village acting as an intermediary, Zheng Anping and the wizard could not negotiate the price and directly entered into the discussion of funeral matters.
The wizard Jordan will take a boat every day to conduct on-site inspections. If he likes it, he can open the hole the next day and bury it the next day. Zheng Anping didn't want to delay it for too long, and he had to go back and forth by boat, which was time-consuming, laborious and expensive, so he said: "Sir, if you want to use it for your own use, it must be expensive. What kind of virtue can you tell the good from the bad! I will be ready to work as a farmer in the future. The point can be used to open acupuncture points."
The chief said: "Since the young master said this, sir, please allow it!" So he made an appointment with the time and place, and resigned twice.
Zheng Anping hurriedly ran to Liangxiyi to inform everyone about the matter. After a day of rest, the conditions of the three of them improved, except for Xiao Si, who was still in low spirits.
Zheng Anping invited: "My house is close to Tianjin, and there are gardeners again. I hope all brothers will come to my house and stay with me every day."
Everyone said: "How can I feel at peace if I disturb my brother's family?" After being polite, the four of them closed the door and returned to Zheng Anping's home together.
Zheng Anping reported to the commander that his colleague, a postman from Liangxi Station, would stay at home tonight so that he could have acupoints opened in the same boat the next day. The leader was full of promises and asked if there was anything missing, he could take it from himself. Zheng Anping asked: "Does your mansion have ironware?"
The leader said: "There is one."
Zheng Anping said: "If we can borrow from each other, we won't dare to do any harm!"
The chief said, "What's the problem?" He took out an iron shovel from a side room. Zheng Anping thanked him repeatedly and left.
Zhang Lu had no sense of existence. He stayed alone in the wing and did not talk to the three of them. When Zheng Anping came back, the three of them were only looking from the east to the west in the courtyard. Zheng Anping said to Xiaosi: "You are the most godless on the road, but how can you be so brave!"
Xiaosi said: "I sweated on the way, so there is a god!" Everyone laughed.
Zheng Anping carried a shovel and asked everyone to look at the farm tools he would bring tomorrow. There was a shovel and a shovel, plus a borrowed shovel, there were three. Everyone said, "That's enough." In order to loosen the soil more easily, I brought four large cans with me to carry water to irrigate the ground. In order to facilitate the demarcation of the area, another jar of plant ash was installed.
Then everyone went to the small ditch behind the house to wash their hands, and then went to the courtyard to prepare porridge.
Although Zhang Lu didn't speak, he was generous and took out a bushel of corn for them, which was roughly equivalent to a day's ration for an ordinary family. Originally, everyone had some objections to him, thinking that he was too withdrawn, but when they saw such a large amount of corn being brought out, everyone smiled and thanked him repeatedly! Zheng Anping asked everyone to bring out a big cauldron from the kitchen, scoop out water, rinse it, and start a fire. Pour a bucket of rice into the cauldron and add water to make porridge.
While they were joking, the porridge was cooked. Zhang Lu brought out a large table just in time. There were exactly four bowls and four plates on it. There were salt and plums in the bowls. In addition to the vegetables, there were also two small pieces of salt in the plates. fish.
When Zheng Anping saw that there were only four portions, he said, "Sir, let's share the meal!"
Zhang Lu said: "As long as you get the rest, that's enough!"
Zheng Anping said: "An is right! If you don't have enough food, let's save it and make Mr. An have no food!" The other three people also let Zhang Lu eat with him. Zhang Lu had no choice but to go into the room and prepare another one for himself.
Brother Su said: "Brother Zheng has ministers like this, that's enough!"
Zheng Anping said: "My brother has been running around endlessly. Fortunately, sir, I have peace." When Zhang Lu came out, Zheng Anping filled porridge for all the brothers one by one, also for Zhang Lu, and finally for himself. The four of them sat at the table and talked loudly. Zhang Lu sat alone, sipping porridge silently. Zhang Lu had only one bowl to eat, and the four people were full of enthusiasm. They ate until the bowl was empty. They were sweating all over their bodies, feeling refreshed and no longer feeling cold.
Zhang Lu took out another bucket of corn, and the four of them steamed it, dried it, and harvested it to make glutinous rice for eating the next day. Then wash the tripod bowl and give it to Zhang Lu to put away. It was getting late, and the four of them chatted all night. The fatigue caused by the expedition, the frustration caused by casualties, and the fatigue caused by the wind and cold were all gone. It wasn't until midnight that I felt a little sleepy. Zheng Anping was going to hug the grass, and the three of them said, "It's not necessary. The three of us will sleep in the thatched house. It's soft and warm, but that's not appropriate!" They took off their armor in the hall, leaned their halberds against the wall, and put their crossbows and arrows in their hands. Hang it on the wall and go to the thatched cottage.
Because of the long journey, the four of them were all dressed in short brown clothes, barefoot and without hoods, holding farm tools and earthen pots in each hand, and carrying grains on their backs, heading straight for the neighborhood. The wizard met them in front and guided them towards the beam. On a gentle river beach outside the city, five people got on a small boat and sat casually inside and outside the cabin. The boatman drove the boat, and after the Nanshui Gate opened, he passed through the city from Nancheng, went all the way north, went straight into Jishui, then bypassed Xingyang and reached the foot of Mang Mountain. The five of them were calm and relaxed, admiring the scenery on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and chatting with each other. The wizard's cold seemed to be almost healed, and he was chatting enthusiastically about ghosts and gods, the principles of bad luck, the ways of survival, and the causes of rise and fall. He was making nonsense, half-truths, half-truths, and half-truths, which was quite attractive. The four of them spent most of the time listening to what he said.
The boat turned from the clear Jishui into the turbid Yellow River and stopped in a secluded place. This is the northern slope of Beimang Mountain. The four of them each held farm tools, each scooped a jar of river water, and followed the wizard up the hillside. The sun casts a long shadow at the foot of the mountain, which looks very dark; as it approaches the ridge, the sun gradually becomes brighter. Suddenly, everyone's eyes lit up, and a gentle slope appeared on the north side of the ridge. The wizard said: "This is it!"
Brother Dog seemed to have some insight, so he asked: "I heard that the Yin House has mountains on its back and water on its back, but why is it a good place to have water and mountains on its back?"
The wizard chuckled and said: "Your Majesty knows its normal state, but does not know its changes. The main purpose of any yin house is to gather and store things. The so-called mountain behind the water is designed for this purpose. However, although this place is located in the north of the mountain, the water is In the south, the Yang Qi is abundant, the Qi pulses are agile, and the abyss is far and the current is long. When it reaches the bottom of the mountain, it suddenly slows down, which is the sign of accepting and hiding."
Everyone didn't know what was true or not. Seeing that the wizard was speaking eloquently and looking around, the mountains and rivers were beautiful, which was obviously not a bad thing, so they nodded in agreement. Zheng Anping said: "It all depends on Mr.'s guidance. How could anyone but Mr. see such a good place?"
The wizard said: "Mortal people only get acupoints from the sun of the mountain. How can the sun of the mountain be so connected? You are really short-sighted..." He kept praising and belittling him. Zheng Anping had no choice but to interrupt: "Mr. I wish you would tap on the acupuncture points!"
The wizard might have found it too heavy this time, so he didn't carry the frame on his back. He only took out a stone tablet from his sleeve, with many strange symbols carved on it. This stone tablet seems to be quite old, and the glaze has been removed by hands. The wizard muttered something, jumping up and down, staring at the stone tablet in his hand and adjusting it left and right. Suddenly he came to a sunken place, put his hand on the ground and said, "This is it!"
Zheng Anping quickly sprinkled a handful of plant ash here. The wizard walked back and forth several times, and finally delineated the four corners of the cemetery. Zheng Anping marked each one with plant ashes according to the wizard's instructions.
After soaking the soil with water, three people dug the soil, and the fourth boy carried an empty can down the mountain to fetch water for later use.
The first layer of wet soil was only dug half a foot deep, but according to the teacher, it should be at least eight feet, preferably one foot deep. At this pace, it will take at least twenty trips. The wizard told them that if they dig out two feet, they can take one step inward to leave a step for their feet. Otherwise, it will be too high and it will be difficult for the coffin to reach the bottom.
Sure enough, after the first two-foot-deep hole was dug, it became very difficult to dig down along the sides. Everyone was also tired. After sketching the outline of the second layer with vegetation gray, they rested.
The wizard's grain was placed on the boat, and he was going to return to the boat to rest for the night. The four of them, Zheng Anping, decided to rest where they were. After eating, they could finish digging the second layer while the sky was still bright. In this way, they could finish the work tomorrow morning and get home in the evening. As for sleeping at night... just in the pit! Can be sheltered from the wind!
While they were eating, they suddenly felt something was wrong. The sky suddenly darkened, and when I looked up, I saw streaks of dust covering the sky and the sun. The four of them were shocked. Could it be that they were so unlucky that they rushed in front of the Qin army and met the Qin army again?
The four of them did not dare to neglect and ran towards the ridge together. Suddenly, Zheng Anping's heart twitched and he whispered: "Stop!" He quickly climbed to the ground. The other three were also startled, and quickly crawled to the ground, listening... but there was no movement.
Xiaosi said disapprovingly: "What's the matter?"
Zheng Anping shouted in a low voice: "Low down!" He looked around carefully and found no suspicious movement. He quickly rushed to a rock on the edge of the ridge along the cover of the mountain. Using the cover of the rock to look down, he couldn't help but be surprised!
