Chapter 12 1
While Mu Linfeng was arranging the funeral of Mr. Tan, Professor Dongfang and his assistant Ling Xiao came to the ancient city of Qingzhou.
The purpose of Professor Dongfang's trip was to meet Mu Linfeng and persuade him to continue to participate in the research team, because the research team recently obtained a new clue and needed Mu Linfeng's assistance to complete it.
After arriving in Qingzhou, the professor went directly to the hotel because he wanted to meet with Li Jianping first to find out about Mu Linfeng's recent situation.
The hotel where the professor stayed was located on the bank of the Nanyang River which runs through the city. Through the window, one could not only see the picturesque Nanyang River, but also the majestic Qingzhou Museum in the distance.
As an archaeologist, Professor Dongfang has visited Qingzhou Museum many times because the museum houses a large number of precious national cultural relics, including the country's only authentic copy of the top-ranking imperial examination paper of the Ming Dynasty, the Han Dynasty Yi Zisun Jade Bi, the Longxing Temple Buddhist statue cellar, etc., all of which have very high research value.
Because this hotel is closest to the museum, and for the convenience of work, the professor always stays in this not-so-good hotel every time he comes. Although he is not going to the museum this time, he stays here again because he is familiar with it.
The hotel staff all knew the professor and Ling Xiao, and greeted them warmly. They specially opened a suite in the southwest corner of the building for the professor because this suite had windows on both sides, allowing for more views. Standing on the balcony, one could even see Yunmen Mountain in the distance.
Less than ten minutes after Professor Dongfang arrived at the guest room, Li Jianping and Xiao Cao arrived.
The two had put a lot of effort into Mu Linfeng's affairs over the past few days. Fortunately, with the assistance of the local police, the work went relatively smoothly. They also had full information about Mu Linfeng's trip to Tanfang Village to take charge of the funeral for Tan Lao Da's father.
After the few people met, the professor didn't bother to be polite and hurriedly asked Li Jianping: "How is Lin Feng's situation? Have you learned the reason why he left the research group?"
"Mu Linfeng has now officially inherited the family business, and he took over a funeral these two days. The father of a well-known private entrepreneur in the city passed away. According to the feedback, the funeral did not seem to go smoothly, and the time of the funeral was changed. The specific situation is not very clear. In addition, the specific reason why Mu Linfeng withdrew from the research team is still under investigation. Based on my observations over the past few days, I think it is very likely related to his inheritance of the family business as a funeral director."
After listening to Li Jianping's introduction, Professor Dongfang pondered for a moment, then asked, "What are the movements of those who sneaked here?"
"After Xiao Cao and I arrived in Qingzhou, Ma Ermu and his men suddenly disappeared. The police have been working with us to find their whereabouts over the past few days. There are signs that this group of people seem to have gone into the mountains, and Ma Ermu seems to be paying attention to Mu Linfeng..."
"Oh! Will Lin Feng be in danger?" Professor Dongfang asked hurriedly.
Li Jianping shook his head slightly: "I think nothing will happen to Mu Linfeng for the time being, because they also want to use Mu Linfeng to find the "Emperor Burial Mountain Map"..."
At this point, Li Jianping pondered for a moment and then asked, "You must have something important to tell me when you come to Qingzhou in person, right?"
"I want to have a face-to-face meeting with Mu Linfeng, and I hope he can continue to join the research team, because we have just received an important clue. A few years ago, tomb robbers discovered an ancient tomb of the ancestral leader of the Yinfubu people in the jungle of the Yucatan Peninsula in Central America. During the excavation, they found an ancient sea map in the tomb. After receiving the news, foreign experts who studied the "Yin people's eastward migration" event called me and said that this sea map is likely to be the sea route of the Yin people when they crossed the sea to the east. If this is true, then the Tianzhi Floating Bridge Island can be found through the sea route. Therefore, we must send people to the Yucatan Peninsula as soon as possible to find this ancient tomb. I want Mu Linfeng to participate in this operation. With his participation, the hope of success will be much greater..."
Upon hearing this, Li Jianping immediately asked, "Do you mean that the location of the ancient tomb of the Yinfubu people on the Yucatan Peninsula is uncertain and needs to be explored?"
Professor Dongfang nodded. "If we can't find the Emperor's Burial Mountain Map, going to the Yucatan Peninsula to look for clues is the only feasible way. I had considered this before I got this news, because the Yin people who arrived there three thousand years ago must have left evidence."
Li Jianping thought for a moment and said, "The chances of finding the "Emperor's Burial Mountain Map" passed down by the ancestors of the Mu family here should be greater than going to the Yucatan Peninsula to find a sea map, don't you think?"
"This is also the reason why I want to have a face-to-face interview with Lin Feng. I want to learn more about the situation. Just now you mentioned that Ma Ermu has noticed Lin Feng, so this matter should be stepped up."
Li Jianping asked in a questioning tone: "Okay, but Mu Linfeng is not at home now. He is busy in Tanfang Village. Should we wait until he finishes his work before going to see him?"
Professor Dongfang knew that if he went to Mu Linfeng at this time, it would be difficult to explain to the victim's family, so he asked, "When will the funeral be over?"
"I just received news on the way here that the funeral will be held today. I think Mu Linfeng should be able to return to the Mu Family Camp before dark."
Professor Dongfang seemed a little impatient: "Then let's go to Mujiaying in the afternoon."
At this time, Ma Ermu was in Tanfang Village. He and his two accomplices mixed in the crowd and saw the whole process of Mu Linfeng's coffin falling to the ground clearly. All of his careful design was cleverly cracked by Mu Linfeng. Ma Ermu realized that Mu Linfeng was more powerful than he thought. No wonder his ancestors didn't get anything from the Mu family. It seems that the Mu family is indeed difficult to deal with.
After Mr. Tan's coffin was moved onto the flatbed, Ma Ermu stopped watching. The funeral process had no meaning to him. He pulled himself out of the crowd and called his two accomplices to walk toward the village entrance. Their car was parked outside the village.
As Ma Ermu walked, he was thinking about how to deal with Mu Linfeng next. He was defeated in the first round and he was unwilling to let Mu Linfeng get the upper hand.
Although Boss Tan did not make it public, many friends who got the news came to pay their respects to the old man, so the road outside the village was filled with all kinds of cars. Although there were many high-end cars among them, the Acura SUV that Ma Ermu and his friends were riding in was still quite conspicuous.
One of the people arranged by Li Jianping was responsible for monitoring the situation at the intersection leading out of the village. He saw an Acura SUV approaching. This high-end SUV produced by Honda in North America is rare locally, so the police officer took a closer look and suddenly noticed that the person sitting in the passenger seat was Ma Ermu, whom they were looking for. So he immediately took out his mobile phone and reported the situation to Li Jianping.
After receiving the report, Li Jianping was more certain that Ma Ermu had set his sights on Mu Linfeng. After hearing the news, Professor Dongfang immediately asked to go to Mujiaying, in order to see Mu Linfeng as soon as possible, and also to see the situation of the village where the Mu family was located.
It was almost one o'clock in the afternoon when Mr. Tan's funeral ended. Mu Linfeng asked to go home after dinner because he had completed all his tasks. According to custom, there was one last step in the funeral, which was to "complete the grave."
"Yuanfen" is held in the afternoon after the burial of the deceased. The family members of the deceased cook dumplings and go to the grave to have the last meal with the deceased. They also burn some paper money for the deceased. This ceremony does not require a "Geda" to preside over it, so the Tan brothers knelt down solemnly and kowtowed to Mu Linfeng to express their gratitude, and then together they sent Mu Linfeng and the other three to the car.
Chinese people believe that a man's knees are made of gold. He should kneel to the sky above, the earth below, and his parents in the middle. He should never kneel anywhere else. Kneeling and thanking is the most solemn etiquette of all. However, at the funeral of an elder, whether welcoming relatives and friends who come to pay their respects or seeing them off, family members must kowtow and thank. This shows how important funerals are in people's minds. Nothing is more important than a funeral, so locals often say, "No matter how big the event is, it is not as important as the funeral of your parents."
There is also a saying in the local area: "When your parents die, you should stand three inches shorter when you see people." It means that after your parents die, before they are buried, you should kneel down and kowtow when you see everyone you know, including relatives, friends, and colleagues. Otherwise, you will be regarded as not knowing etiquette. This is why Mu Linfeng guessed that Zhu Fugui had lost an elderly person when he saw him kneeling down to him.
It was already past three o'clock when they returned to Mujiaying. When the car arrived at the village entrance, Mu Linfeng asked them to stop the car and let the SUV that was taking them go back.
Getting off the bus at the entrance of the village is a simple folk custom followed by the locals, especially those who live outside the village will take the initiative to get off the bus at the entrance of the village and walk home. Even if they come back by bicycle, they will get off at the entrance of the village and push the bicycle into the village. If you drive yourself, you must roll down both windows, slow down, and let the car move forward slowly.
No matter how powerful, wealthy, and powerful a person is outside, he must be respectful in front of his fellow villagers when he returns to his hometown. He must never drive into the village in a show of force, otherwise he will be sneered at and looked down upon by the old and young masters...
Although Mu Linfeng has returned to live in the village, he cannot change this habit. He greets the elders he meets as he walks, while Gao Hongjin and Zhang Xiaosan who follow behind him are also talking in a low voice.
Just now in the car, because there were some things that were difficult to say in front of the driver, Gao Hongjin couldn't wait to ask Xiao San after getting off the car: "Little Cripple, when Mr. Tan was buried, how did the weasel in your bag run in front of the coffin?"
Zhang Xiaosan shook his head: "I don't know what happened, anyway, it ran out all of a sudden, and I don't know why it ran into that circle."
Gao Hongjin pointed at Zhang Xiaosan and said, "You are lying to me. You have been raising the weasel all along, and it is still in your bag. If you don't know, who would know?"
Zhang Xiaosan unzipped his bag as he walked, then said with a grin, "If you don't believe me, just ask Ah Huang yourself."
The weasel, which had been stuck in the bag for a long time, immediately poked its head out, with its pointed little head facing Gao Hongjin. It suddenly opened its black mouth, revealing its sharp teeth, and screamed at Gao Hongjin, seeming to be a little angry.
Gao Hongjin was so frightened by Ah Huang's display of power that he could not help but take two steps back and said angrily: "You little beast, why are you baring your teeth at me? Be careful or I'll punish you..."
Zhang Xiaosan was very unhappy when he heard Gao Hongjin scolding Ah Huang, but Lao Gao was his former master, so he couldn't say anything. He just stroked Ah Huang's head and said, "Ah Huang, be obedient and hide quickly. We will be home soon."
Shortly after entering the village, Mu Linfeng saw from afar a tall Toyota SUV parked at the entrance of the alley where he lived. When he got closer, he recognized it as the Land Cruiser that Li Jianping was riding in.
Before the three people reached the entrance of the alley, the driver's door of the SUV suddenly opened. Xiao Cao got out of the car and greeted Mu Linfeng with a smile.
"So it's you guys, when did you get here?" Mu Linfeng hurriedly took two steps forward, holding Xiao Cao's hand and asked. "I've been here for two hours, this time I'm mainly here to accompany Professor Dongfang..."
Before Xiao Cao finished speaking, Mu Linfeng asked in surprise: "Professor Dongfang is here? Where did they go?"
Xiao Cao pointed to a few elderly people sitting under an old persimmon tree not far away and said, "Knowing that you haven't come back yet, the professor chatted with those elderly people for a while, and then went to your old house with Li Chu to take a look."
Gao Hongjin, who was standing nearby, saw the two chatting so enthusiastically, and seemed to be very familiar friends. However, he was very unhappy that Mu Linfeng did not introduce himself: "Linfeng, you don't introduce this friend either, but just talk about yourself."
Mu Linfeng quickly said to Xiao Cao: "Oh, this is my former colleague Gao Hongjin. Now we are working together again. Haha, to be more precise, he is my agent."
Gao Hongjin sighed: "Hey, I asked you to introduce this friend to me, not to introduce me..."
