Song Yushan couldn't drink the wine anymore. She took the record of her practice and read it carefully from beginning to end, not missing any information, trying to find a way to see her mother-in-law again.
She read all the records about the ghosts of the dead, but found nothing.
All the information told her that monks and demons would not turn into ghosts and enter the underworld after death.
No one knows where they went.
Song Yushan didn't even find any record about reincarnation in the records of his experiences.
After death, mortals will become ghosts and disappear after their life span.
Both monks and demons have no longevity, and they disappear when they die.
The end of all living things is to disappear.
This kind of disappearance is generally regarded by the spiritual community as integrating into heaven and earth.
From now on, there will be no such person in the world. He may have turned into a flower, a grass, or a wisp of wind. He has lost his original consciousness, but is still everywhere.
It is also possible to be reincarnated as a human being, but it will have nothing to do with the previous life.
Monks practice hard in order to improve their realm, extend their life span, and allow themselves to "exist" longer.
Although the information record said so, Song Yushan was skeptical.
She herself is an example.
She was born with Suhui, and although she could not remember the specific experiences of her previous life, the knowledge brought about by her previous life was very clear.
Moreover, my father went to a place called Quxia to become a city god. Since there is a city god, he should also have an underworld? How could there be no reincarnation?
In this way, there is no connection between the past life and this life. There may be an afterlife after the body dies and the soul disappears.
It's just that no one has discovered the rules yet.
Song Yushan thought this way and comforted herself: the dead person may have started another new life and is still the same person, but the past has been forgotten.
She developed a strong desire to explore life and the world, and wanted to find out what was going on.
But she can't even see ghosts, so how can she explore life? If you don’t even dare to leave Fushui County, how can you talk about exploring the world?
She is still too weak and needs to practice hard to have the ability to explore life and the world.
You should not continue to dwell on the past.
Song Yushan closed the record of his spiritual practice and looked at the sky through the window lattice. The rays of light were beginning to shine, and it was a new day.
She rubbed the corners of her sore eyes, got up and went out. When she saw the busy figures in the kitchen, her heart warmed slightly: "Uncle Jin, I'm hungry!"
Jin Da frowned and looked at the fire. Last night, the light in the young lady's room was left on all night. She must be very sad.
The most important thing is that the lady didn't eat anything for lunch or dinner yesterday. She didn't eat anything. What should she do if she's starving?
At this time, I heard her cry out that she was hungry, and I was extremely surprised. Looking back, I saw that although she was tired to the naked eye and the eyes were slightly red and swollen, she was full of energy and no longer as depressed as yesterday.
He quickly opened the lid of the porridge can: "I made yam and red date porridge, it's just the right time to drink it!"
Song Yushan sniffed: "It smells so good! Uncle Jin, thank you for your hard work."
"It's not hard, it's not hard." Jin laughed and served her a large bowl of porridge: "Boil it carefully!"
Seeing the young lady eating what he made made him happier than eating it himself.
After breakfast, Song Yushan took her mother-in-law's ashes to the southern suburbs of the county.
The county seat is adjacent to Fushui in the south, and most of the people living here are fishermen who rely on the water. Most of their houses are built near the water.
Jin Da took her to find a familiar boatman.
"Old man Liu is the most senior fisherman in the county. His son, Shuishengren, lives up to his name. He has excellent water quality and is a kind person. Most of the fish we buy at Fumanzhai are from them. We have never been short of fish in these years. Pass."
Song Yushan nodded as he looked at this one of the most luxurious small courtyards in the southern suburbs. The family was all fishermen. Living in such a courtyard, their fishing skills must be very good.
As consistent buyers of the Liu family's fish, the Liu family was very enthusiastic about their visit.
After they revealed their intentions, Old Man Liu looked troubled.
Song Yushan took Uncle Jin to find a boatman he knew well. He expected that renting a boat might not be easy, so he brought enough silver: "Ten taels of silver."
The Liu family may not be able to earn these ten taels of silver from selling fish in a month. They can earn ten taels of silver from just one small trip, which is already very rich.
But Old Man Liu still shook his head: "It's still a bit taboo to use fishing boats for this purpose. Why don't Miss Song scatter the ashes directly by the river? It also saves the effort of renting a boat?"
Why didn't Song Yushan know that it was more convenient to spread by the river? But she wanted her mother-in-law's ashes to float farther away. Fushui River was a big river, with a width of three to five hundred feet, so it would be more appropriate to scatter them in the river.
She still insisted on renting a boat and added an additional ten taels of silver for the boat fee.
Jin Daye also advised: "Our lady would like to comply with Granny Hua's last wish. Old Liu, can you help me, or can you give me a price?"
Old man Liu waved his hand: "This is not about money. Fish is imported. If my fishing boat scatters the ashes, who will dare to buy the fish caught in the future? Even if you Fumanzhai dares to ask for it, others are afraid I don’t even dare to order fish dishes from your family. It’s not just my family. If you ask, everyone will refuse.”
There was nothing to talk about. Song Yushan could understand this reason, so he could only say goodbye and find other ways.
Since fishermen were taboo about ashes and were unwilling to rent a boat, she would buy a cheaper old boat, but it would just cost more money.
Granny Hua led her to practice, and it was worth spending any amount of money to fulfill her last wish.
She and Jinda were walking towards the pier, talking about buying a boat, when they suddenly heard rapid footsteps behind them.
Looking back, it was Liu Shuisheng chasing after him: "Miss Song, Shopkeeper Jin, I know someone who might be able to take over your business."
"Oh? Please also tell me that if everything is successful, there must be a thank you gift." Song Yushan cupped his hands and said.
"No, no, no!" Liu Shuisheng waved his hands repeatedly, with a hint of nervousness on his dark face.
Song Yushan saw that he was still looking around, and wanted to speak several times, but was stopped abruptly because someone was passing by. As if to avoid being heard, Song Yushan said, "Can we talk to him in the alley over there?"
Shuisheng looked at the deserted alley she pointed to, felt relieved, and quickly agreed.
Shuisheng introduced a widow named Qiu Niang.
Not long after Mrs. Qiu got married, her husband drowned in Fushui. Her husband's family scolded her and drove her out of the house.
Not long after, her mother-in-law was also mad to death, and only an old boat was left at home.
Because she is a woman, and there are rumors that she has lost her husband, the fish she catches cannot be sold in the county, and her fishing job cannot be continued.
Fortunately, she also has the unique skill of punting a boat. She is the only ferryman in Fushui County who is familiar with the waterway to the county town and can safely transport people to the county town.
It's just that there are very few contacts between Fushui County and the county town. Usually, only when they are rushing for exams, some scholars will go to the county town on her family's boat for safety.
This kind of opportunity only comes once every three to five years, and the money earned is not enough to maintain a boat.
