Although Tian Shen Gong was not very promising, he was a fortunate man.
Xu Qing powdered his face and combed his hair, changed him into new clothes, and when he looked lifelike, opened the room door to call the Tian family’s relatives to come see him.
At first, the Tian family members were quite scared, hesitating at the door, not daring to step forward no matter what.
In the end, it was the grandson of the Tian family, with his cheeks swollen like buns, who was the bravest.
When he entered the room, feeling wronged and crying, calling "Great-Grandpa," the other family members were also overcome with sorrow. Their emotions for their loved one overtook their fear, and one by one they threw themselves forward and cried together.
Xu Qing watched the scene in front of him, feeling deeply moved.
One could say that different people have different fates. If Landlord Liu had such a group of filial sons and grandsons back then, he wouldn’t have passed away so miserably.
Seeing that Tian Shen Gong was no longer causing trouble, the Tea House Shopkeeper, a local of the Jin Sect, gave up on the idea of reporting to the authorities.
To help out, he went to the Funeral House and specially bought a good coffin for the burial of Old Master Tian.
After the children and grandchildren of the Tian family finished crying in mourning and took their last look at Tian Shen Gong, Xu Qing began to seal the coffin.
When nailing the coffin, he chose seven nails as coffin nails, called Descendant Nails, symbolizing the seven stars of the Big Dipper, representing the prosperity of the descendants.
If nine nails were used, they would be Wealth Nails, symbolizing descending to the Nine Netherworld and being reborn into wealth and honor.
Since starting this profession, Xu Qing has never slacked off, whether in makeup and encoffining, or holding rituals for the deceased. He studied humbly and worked day and night to enhance his professional skills.
Earlier, when he encoffined Landlord Liu at the Liu Mansion in Linhe, he used nine coffin nails because Landlord Liu had no bloodline descendants. The only child he raised was born from the housekeeper’s affair with his wife, and that adopted son coldly watched the housekeeper kill his foster father without feeling any guilt.
For such a "filial son," Xu Qing was naturally unwilling to use seven nails, as it would go against his professional ethics.
Now, seeing the Tian Shen Gong with virtuous sons and filial grandsons, he naturally followed the usual practice, using seven Descendant Nails to encoffin him.
This would help the old master to protect and bring peace to his descendants and their household after death.
As for whether it would work or not, that was not Xu Qing’s concern. After all, the business of the dead was always a one-off deal, decided once the coffin was sealed, with no after-sales service.
This time, Tian Shen Gong died of a natural life, making it a joyous funeral.
Moreover, with his title as a scholar and his great-grandson’s recent success in the imperial examination, it added even more joy.
The Tea House Shopkeeper personally bought a string of firecrackers and instructed his staff to light them when moving the body for burial.
According to Jin Sect’s customs, a joyous funeral must include ritual offerings. Guo Dongyang and the Wu family brothers handed out towels, handkerchiefs, mourning candies, pastries, and other small items to those who came to help or send off.
The children running around the street weren’t scared, and when the firecrackers went off with a pop, they covered their ears, jumping and dancing as if celebrating the New Year!
Many fellow successful examinees spontaneously came to see off the old gentleman.
The Prefect, upon hearing the news, specially came and personally wrote and presented eight characters to the Tian family descendants:
"Heaven rewards diligent people, and ambition leads to success."
This was to encourage all scholars and to express respect for Tian Shen Gong.
Because of these eight characters, the Jin Sect saw a surge of enthusiasm for studying and imperial examinations in the following years.
Many old child students over fifty picked up books again, hoping to emulate Tian Shen Gong and have a second spring in life.
The old Shopkeeper of Guo Dongyang’s tea house was among them, and later he achieved success and even gained a good marriage with a much younger wife.
Of course, these are stories for later.
Let’s return to Xu Qing, who explained some precautions for moving the body to the Tian family outside the tea house, and then watched as the Tian family’s descendants carried the coffin back to their hometown...
The Jin Sect Prefect, seeing the crowd in the street mostly consisting of scholars and literati, took the opportunity to announce in advance that the Crown Prince would hold a River God sacrifice by the Baishui River in two days. That evening, at the Changting Mansion, there would be a winding stream party, widely inviting examinees and scholars from all around to attend.
Before leaving, the Prefect had a brief private conversation with the Wu family brothers, hoping the two, who ranked among the top three in the prefectural examination, would attend on time.
At that moment, Xu Qing, who had ranked fourth, stood beside the Wu family brothers but did not receive a single greeting from the Prefect.
When Xu Qing returned to the entrance of the tea house, he heard Guo Dongyang sigh, "People only admire the blossoms, who would appreciate the green under the flowers?"
Xu Qing raised his head in surprise, thinking he was talking about him.
But in the next moment, Guo Dongyang changed the topic abruptly and said, "Back then, the Prefect and I were listed together. I was the top scorer, and he was just a supporting role."
"Now, I am just a storyteller, while he has become a Prefect."
"The affairs of the world are truly beyond words!"
As he spoke, Guo Dongyang happily sipped from his tea cup, looking as if he were drinking fine wine.
Standing beside him, Xu Qing also looked out at the lively scene outside, feeling calm as usual.
He thought Guo Dongyang’s words made sense, although it slightly differed from his own thoughts.
To him, although flowers are beautiful, their blooming period is short. Leaves are ordinary but can stay green for months.
Xu Qing did not see himself as a flower on a branch, nor as the green leaves complementing the flowers, for in the end, both would wither.
That night, the chubby boy from Changting Mansion came to the tea house again with a group of attendants following closely behind.