Volume 1: Die with Unclosed Eyes 101. Broken Feng Shui
"Robber water? There can be robbers in the water?" Chu Sen asked in confusion.
"It's very common. For example, the clear spring at the top of Tianluo Mountain must be formed by the circulation of underground water, because the mountaintop cannot produce water on its own. This is the natural circulation of water in Tianluo Mountain. And now this pond is filled with groundwater, which is the source of the clear spring on the mountaintop. This kind of forcible interception of water is called robber water."
"But water is not alive, how can it change its direction?" Chu Sen said.
"It must have changed its direction on its own. This is man-made."
"I see. This is the result of the mining back then, right?" Chu Sen said.
My uncle didn't answer this question, but continued, "Since there's a word 'water' in Feng Shui, you can see the importance of water to the Yin and Yang of a house. As the saying goes, mountains govern affairs, and water governs wealth. The quality of water in a place directly determines the owner's fortune. Stealing water is just a man-made aesthetic, but it actually ruins the feng shui of a place. Building your ancestral tomb in this place is doomed to a lifetime of poverty and bad luck."
"We were deceived by that bastard Feng Shui master." Chu Sen said hatefully.
The uncle kicked away a piece of dirt with his foot and saw that there was no moisture in the soil. Even the deep soil was dry without a trace of moisture. It turned into powder when squeezed by hand. It can be seen how serious the damage to the local ecology caused by human destruction of the environment is.
"Go down and see your parents. It's been a few years since you last saw them?" asked the uncle.
"We see him every year. Godfather visits Grandpa's grave every year ."
So we walked down the hill leisurely along the gentle slopes. We saw the water in the pond in front of the farmland was crystal clear, with many small fish swimming calmly in the water. It was definitely a beautiful sight. We saw the villagers in the village farming leisurely. In recent years, due to the popularization of sowing machines, farm work is no longer considered too strenuous, especially in the rural areas of Jiangnan . The weather is good, and the villagers are not afraid of drought or flood disasters. The first impression of the local area is that everyone lives a very comfortable life.
The uncle continued, "See? Although there are no rich people in Tianluo Village, they live a very comfortable life. This is also related to the local feng shui. Only this kind of environment can create a group of people who are content with poverty."
"Uncle, should my grandfather's grave be moved?"
"Of course you have to move. You have a competitive personality, which is incompatible with the feng shui of this place. This is not a good place for you."
The living standards of the villagers in Tianluo Village are indeed not high, which can be seen from the houses they build. In the rural areas of Jiangnan, everyone has a Western-style villa, but the locals still live in bungalows. The exterior of the house is basically not beautified with any materials, just gray cement walls, which are just a grade higher than mud houses.
Chu Sen's parents' house was not particularly outstanding, just a small tiled house with a simple bamboo fence around it. In the yard, a big yellow dog was lazily basking in the sun. Several old hens with their chicks were wandering around in front of the dog, but they did not arouse the dog's interest at all. However, when it saw us, it immediately became energetic, jumped up and barked at us. The old hens that had been pecking at their food peacefully immediately fled with their chicks.
Soon, Chu Sen's biological father opened the door and came out. He didn't seem surprised to see his son. He stopped Tu Gou from opening the door for us and asked his son, "Why are you back?"
"Dad, I came back to move grandpa's grave."
"You can do whatever you want. Does my brother know about this?"
"He found his biological son, and he kicked me out of the house."
"What the hell? He has a child outside?" the middle-aged man asked in surprise.
"Dad, I have guests here. Aren't you going to let us in?"
"Oh, yes, come in. How can we chase this Chu Dong away since he has the same surname as us?" Chu Sen's father muttered in dissatisfaction. His small peasant ideology was clearly revealed in these simple words.
The house was simply decorated, but the living standard was only average. Chu Sen told us that the Feng Shui master had asserted that the family's wealth would be concentrated on Chu Sen. If someone with a bloodline took his money, Chu Sen's wealth would be gone. That was why his loving father never accepted a penny from his adoptive father.
From this we can also see that his father is not greedy at all. Although he looks like a small farmer, he will never make things difficult for his children because of money.
This can probably be considered a kind of fatherly love.
The room wasn't very big, so it felt a bit crowded with four people. His father squatted on the floor, holding an enamel pot and looking worried, saying, "Senwa, you're too stubborn. Why can't you just talk to your eldest brother nicely? Why do you have to take it to this extent?"
"You blame me when you don't even know what happened? Do you think I'm mentally ill and I'm not enjoying my blessings?"
"Chu Sen, don't speak louder than your elders when speaking to them. This is the most basic courtesy." said the uncle.
"I know, but my dad blames me every time we meet. You know the whole story, and it's not my fault at all."
"No matter what, you have to speak nicely. This is the most basic rule for being a son." The uncle's tone gradually became colder.
"Dad, I came back today because I have something important to discuss with you. Grandpa's grave must be moved, otherwise we will all be in trouble."
"That's not what the gentleman said before. What do you know, kid? Stop making a fuss." The honest village man decided on "the previous plan."
"Oh, I'm so anxious. How should I tell you?" Chu Sen was so anxious that he was about to jump up and down again.
"Let me tell you." The uncle turned to the village man and said, "Brother, let's put Chu Sen's matter aside for now. What did the person in charge of the copper mine in Tianluo Mountain tell you about your work?"
"There were no specific instructions. They just said there was a copper mine in the mountain and told us to just dig. The wages were divided into two parts: one was calculated by the day's work, and after we dug up the copper, we would get a big red envelope. We kept digging until one day a spring suddenly burst out of the mountain. The spring water rose dozens of meters high, which was very scary to look at. The water was also very cold, and it froze my bones when I touched it."
"Later, for some unknown reason, the construction team gave each of us a red envelope, finished the project, blocked the fountain with cement, and left. Soon, the spring dried up, and all the plants on the mountain died."
"The water in this pond was formed when the mountain spring dried up, right?"
"Yes, a few days after we dug the copper mine, the township came to persuade us, saying that the mountains were not suitable for living. The township would fund the construction of new houses for us at the foot of the mountain and reclaim new land. There was no pond at the time, but we thought it would be more convenient to live at the foot of the mountain, so we moved. Later, I don't know which department, but they dug holes and blew up the land around the pond several times, and finally blew up the water hole."
"With fields and water, your life will be more convenient," said the uncle.
"Yes, our ancestors have been farmers for generations, and we have never thought about doing big things. It is enough for us to live on a dozen acres of land," he said.
"Well, being content with poverty is also a state of mind. I admire you very much, but brother, you should consider relocating your family's ancestral grave."
"I won't move. Everyone who has seen our ancestral grave says it's fine. The old man even appeared before us and helped us through the most difficult times. Just because you tell me to move, I should? Why?"
The uncle was very patient and said in a steady tone, "Brother, no one is forcing you to do this, but if you really want to do it for the good of future generations, you should listen to my advice and move the old man's grave."
"Senwa, if you came here today to take advantage of your grandfather, then leave as soon as possible. This family has never counted on you, so don't cause trouble for me if there is nothing to do."
"Dad, I really am..."
Before he could finish his words, my uncle stood up and said, "Okay, moving the grave must be approved by the whole family. Since you don't want to, forget it. Sorry for disturbing you." After that, he led us out of the house.
"Uncle, let's forget about the relocation of the grave?" Chu Sen asked.
"You definitely have to owe it. Not only that, but it would be best if your entire family moved out of here."
"Ah, why? Is there any danger?" Chu Sen suddenly became nervous.
"The logic is clear. This is a man-made destruction of the Feng Shui of Tianluo Mountain. But why did this person want to destroy the local Feng Shui? Can you two children figure it out?"