In the Lingnan area, there is an ancient funeral custom called bone picking.
After a relative dies and is buried, after three or five years, when the body has melted, a "bone picker" is asked to choose an auspicious time to open the grave and collect the remains of the deceased. After wiping it clean, put it into the urn from bottom to top in the order of toes, feet, legs, thighs, spine, chest, hands and head, and then rebury it at the right time.
Also known as "secondary burial".
In the past few years, the country has promoted cremation, and the custom of collecting bones has slowly disappeared from the eyes of the public. Post-95s generation like Chen Jingle should be the last group to be exposed to this concept.
At that time, long graves could often be seen on the mountain, which were different from ordinary round graves in that the bones had not yet been collected. After 2006, the long graves have basically disappeared.
However, in recent years, the state's control has been lax, and some people have secretly buried people in the countryside, and the bone collecting industry has revived.
There is a rule for picking up bones, which is called "passing three but not seven".
It means that the burial must be done for three years first, otherwise it would be extremely unfilial to let the ancestors vacate the house before they have lived there for long. But it cannot be more than seven years, otherwise it would be equally unfilial to ask someone to vacate the house after they get used to it.
There are many taboos in the bone-picking business. After all, you are digging graves and opening coffins. If you accidentally stumble upon something unclean and take it home, it will be really harmful.
…
Shapo Village, Xiqiao Town, Orange County.
Villager Li Shitang wants to find someone to pick up his father's bones and move them to his grave.
When the old man was still alive, the fortune teller said that he was afraid of fire, so he refused to be cremated. Li Shitang asked Li Shitang to secretly bury him in the mountains.
Because I was in a hurry, I didn't choose the feng shui properly, and I didn't even dare to do any rituals. The brothers secretly carried it into the mountains overnight and buried it without telling anyone where it was buried. I was afraid that someone would report me and have the county funeral home open the grave and burn it.
This situation is not without precedent.
Therefore, they all said that the old man was buried in the county cemetery.
Now that three years have passed, the official policy has been relaxed, and the people are not responsible for the officials. Li Shitang wants to find a geomantic treasure land for his old father to collect his bones and rebury him.
Because Xiqiao Town is located at the junction of Guangdong and Guangxi, he found a bone picker from Guizhou Province next door.
Compared with southern Guangdong, the ethnic composition of western Guangxi is complex. Burial customs are still retained in many places, and the profession of bone collectors is still active.
On the auspicious day, the whole Li family, old and young, came back, including the aunt who married outside.
Li Shitang and several of his brothers and sisters went up the mountain with the Feng Shui master and the bone picker.
First, he paid homage and told the old man that his unworthy descendants were going to help him move. Then he opened a black parasol to block the sun, and prepared to open the grave and raise the coffin.
However, after opening the grave, something unexpected happened——
The coffin cannot be opened.
Everyone present was stunned and subconsciously looked at the Feng Shui master.
The Feng Shui master was also a little panicked.
After all, he is just a charlatan, just trying to make ends meet under the guise of Feng Shui. He is very courageous, but he is also afraid of accidents.
However, he still managed to calm down and said: "It doesn't matter. It has probably just been buried in the soil for too long and it has become heavy. Let's bring two more people to help. It would be a bad day to miss it."
Li Shitang and his brother rushed forward to help. Together with the bone picker, the three of them worked together to barely open the coffin.
After the coffin was opened, a stench spread instantly, causing everyone to turn their heads subconsciously.
No one noticed that a gray mist floated out of the coffin. Instead of floating in the air, it sank to the ground and penetrated into the ground.
Inside the coffin, Li Shitang's father's body had rotted to the point where only the bones were left, with a little bit of carrion attached to it in some places.
The brothers all over-identified, feeling uncomfortable and a little frightened.
…
at the same time,
Changcheon Civil Affairs Bureau.
"Report! A strange signal has been detected, number 0759081, energy level C, locating..."
"Location successful! Colleagues from the nearby civil affairs bureau are being notified to take them in..."
…
After opening the coffin,
Next comes the job of the bone picker.
He would wipe the bones clean one by one, then put them into porcelain urns in order, seal them, and give them to Li Shitang.
Another handful of incense was lit, and Li Shitang held it and walked in front, while the others scattered paper money and set off firecrackers all the way to the new grave for burial.
By the time the last shovelful of soil was put on the new grave, it was almost evening.
Everyone quickly went down the mountain.
After seeing off the Feng Shui master and the bone picker, Li Shitang and others had a hurried dinner. In the evening, the funeral team was going to perform rituals in front of the village ancestral hall.
There is definitely no way to sleep tonight.
But what they didn't expect was that there was more than one reason for being unable to sleep.
Just as Li Shitang and others were preparing to leave for the ancestral hall, Zhao Yi hurried over with Xie Feifan.
"Excuse me, we are from the Chuchuan City Civil Affairs Bureau. Who among you can make the decision? I need to understand the situation."
Hearing this, Li Shitang's family was stunned.
what's going on?
Could it be that the burial was reported?
After learning that the Li family was relocating their graves today, Zhao Yi asked, "Did anything strange happen during the relocation process?"
The Li family immediately looked hesitant.
Zhao Yi said decisively and seriously: "This matter is extraordinary. I am not afraid to tell you that you are in trouble and someone may die."
Li Shitang panicked and told what happened when he opened the coffin.
Zhao Yi's heart sank: "Please call the Feng Shui master and the bone picker to come back."
The biggest official Li Shitang met every day was the brigade secretary. In front of the comrades from Chuchuan, he did not dare to have any objections and quickly followed the orders.
"Comrade, there's no problem with the Feng Shui guy, but I've called the Bone Picker guy several times and can't get through."
Zhao Yi and Xie Feifan looked at each other and saw the solemnity in each other's eyes.
I'm afraid it's something bad.
Immediately call the command center: "Request target positioning support number 081!"
The other end of the phone quickly replied: "The current location of the target... Blue Ocean Seafood Restaurant on Zhengdong Avenue, Yinqiao Town!"
Xie Feifan looked at the map and saw that it was not far from here, only two kilometers.
The two drove over immediately.
…
However, when they arrived at the Blue Ocean Seafood Restaurant, they found that a cordon had been set up.
Suddenly my heart sank.
If nothing else happens, there is a high probability that something happened.
I found the person in charge at the scene and inquired, and sure enough, someone was dead.
The deceased was a bone picker.
Yes, it was the one who helped Li Shitang's family open the coffin and collect the bones in the afternoon.
And the death was bizarre. When he was found in the toilet, his body had decomposed, as if it had been dug out of the ground.
After hearing the report, Cai Quan muttered: "Let me say hello to Zhucheng. After all, the victim is from Nanzhu County, and ask them to send some people over to handle it together."
Although the economy of western Guangxi is relatively backward due to its geographical location, the Civil Affairs Bureau is not inferior to southern Guangdong in terms of manpower.
Even in terms of work experience, it is even better.
After all, western Guangxi is known as the Hundred Thousand Mountains, with complex ethnic groups and various customs, many of which have been inherited from ancient times. It is normal for something to happen that cannot be explained by science.
After receiving the news, the Nanzhu Civil Affairs Bureau quickly sent an experienced trickster.
Looking at the petite eldest sister in front of them, who was over fifty years old and wearing a blue and black Zhuang floral dress, but with piercing eyes, Zhao Yi and the others did not dare to neglect her.
