"I don't feel anything is wrong, I'm just a little greedy," I said.

"Although I haven't spoken to this person face to face, I can sense that he's not quite normal. For example, why did he quote a price of 30 million?"

"The lion's mouth is wide open. Isn't this easy to understand?" I said.

"It's understandable that they want more money, but the key is why 30 million?"

"Is there a meaning for numbers?"

"Of course there's a reason for the amount of money. In the earthwork industry, the funeral ceremony for those who died by hanging is called the Floating Immortals Meeting. On the seventh night, 30 million in ghost money is burned . Because the person who died by hanging committed suicide , they will be bullied by evil spirits that block the road . This 30 million is exactly the amount of money to bribe the evil spirits."

"But Tingting wasn't hanged. Did she die after falling into a mud pit?"

Uncle San thought for a moment and said, "I'll come over tomorrow morning and go to the deceased's home to take a look at the situation before making any decisions."

"Uncle San, do you really believe that Longmuting is the place where dragons live?" I asked.

"I don't know. I'd rather believe in these mysterious things than anything else, but it's true that Longmuting is a dangerous place."

I hung up the phone and said to Chu Sen, "Third Uncle will come over tomorrow."

He clapped his hands and said, "Okay, I'm free and have nothing to do. Tomorrow I can follow Uncle San and watch the fun again."

"Someone died here, it's not a lively thing."

"This... I may have gone a bit too far, but it's possible that there really is a hanged ghost doing evil in Longmuting ." Chu Sen quickly changed the subject.

"I'm not a coward, but I'm most afraid of hanged ghosts. If it really is a hanged ghost, I won't get involved in this."

"Look at you, you're such a loser. What's wrong with a hanged ghost? Good always wins over evil. If a person is frightened by a ghost, how can you still do earthwork?"

I laughed and said, "Don't be so self-indulgent. I definitely can't do this job. My family won't accept me."

"Your relatives are really going too far. Why can't they let you in to help? Can such a big business still have you?"

"Every family has its own problems. There are many things in our family that you don't know." I said helplessly.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's see what to do when Uncle San comes tomorrow."

After that, everyone went home to sleep. The next morning at around nine o'clock, my uncle arrived. This time he was alone. My uncle told us that Luo Tianbao and others had gone to a city in the north, where they had taken on a "big job". A billionaire with a net worth of tens of billions wanted to build a large tomb in his hometown, so all the experienced craftsmen in Longhua Village went there.

"Uncle San, apart from the comparison of the intuitive area, what other differences are there in the size of the tombs?" I asked.

"First , the materials used for the coffins are different. Those with financial resources often choose coffins made of special materials, such as black iron or crystal. The structure of the cemetery is also different. Although a large tomb may not be as large as a mausoleum, a burial chamber must be built beneath the cemetery. It's not as simple as digging a narrow shaft with a long middle."

"The two most important aspects of a large tomb aren't its size, but its location and the burial objects. Your great- grandfather personally chose the location for the tomb of this wealthy man in the north , so the construction of the tomb was entrusted to our family."

Chu Sen asked curiously, "Uncle San, how much would a project like this cost?"

"Renovating a large tomb is known in engineering jargon as 'making a golden shovel'. It's impossible to calculate the total cost before construction begins. We can only estimate the initial capital, then work on it for a while before calculating the next bill. This time, the initial capital is already tens of millions."

I gasped and almost shouted "Oh my God". Although Chu Sen was a rich second-generation, he also seemed very surprised.

Uncle San laughed and said, "Do you think the money is too much?"

"The start-up capital is already tens of millions, is that not enough?" I said.

"Actually, it's not much at all. He needs to place jade sculptures of the twelve zodiac animals, each over a meter tall, on both sides of the tomb passage. That alone costs over five million. There's also a gilded coffin, a shroud woven with gold thread , and a jade pig carved from Hetian jade seed material. Our profit from this trip is just the cost price."

"You're truly a wealthy man, spending so much money just to build a tomb."

"Lavish burials are actually right, but the key is choosing the right approach. Blindly doing it will only waste money and have no other effect. Like the wealthy man I mentioned, his lavish burial was intended to pass on his fortune from generation to generation. This isn't feudal superstition ; the rise and fall of many families can be linked to the burial sites of their ancestors."

When I heard this topic, I immediately became interested and asked, "Uncle San, can you tell me which famous family in history had a connection between its prosperity and the tombs of its ancestors ?"

"Let's talk about our great-grandfather. His grandfather was buried in a top-tier feng shui site, called Chang'e Flying to the Moon. The grave is located on top of a small hill, and the feng shui layout is such that the high ground of the grave faces the moon. The entire hill is graceful in shape, like Chang'e, her robes fluttering as she flies towards the moon."

"The terrain where Chang'e flew to the moon is extremely beautiful, so if there are beautiful people among the descendants of the family, they will be blessed."

I laughed and said, "It's true that Grandpa Taizu has a dignified appearance, but he doesn't really have the same meaning as beautiful, does he?"

"Look at photos of our great grandfather when he was young. He was a handsome young man with elegant features and a refined gaze. He was naturally beautiful. The image of Chang'e flying to the moon has the most profound influence on men born under the influence of women. While we can't say that our great grandfather's unprecedented achievements were due to the blessings of his ancestors' tombs, who can say that there's no connection between the two?"

"That's true. If the customs formed over thousands of years were really useless, they would have been eliminated long ago," I said.

The deceased was named Zhao Tingting. Her elder brother who caused trouble in the bank was named Zhao Duan. They lived in an old residential area in Zhabei District.

This community is not even called a community because it has no name. Old Shanghainese people call it "Twelfth Floor".

The residents of the "Twelfth Floor" were all relocated from the renovated old alleys, and some of them were old employees of the fishery company. Later, when the fishery company went bankrupt, these old employees lived with their families in a "pigeon cage" of more than ten square meters for decades. To put it bluntly, this is a decent slum.

Zhao Duan's parents were both employees of the old aquatic products company. His father was laid-off and his mother lost her job when she gave birth. Zhao Duan is now mediocre, working for a boss who does transportation for an aquatic products company. The family lives a tight life. They had hoped that Zhao Tingting could change the family's destiny, but the girl died accidentally. Then death compensation is the only way for the family to change their destiny.

I entered his small house that looked like a pigeon cage, and after seeing the dilapidated room, my contempt for Zhao Duan disappeared. Although this behavior is not desirable, it is worthy of sympathy.

To my surprise, Zhao Duan was quite reserved in real life, barely daring to look people in the eye when speaking. He knew we were there to mediate between the two sides, so his attitude wasn't extreme. After asking the three of us to sit down, Zhao Duan said, "Actually, I'm sadder than anyone else about my sister's death, but I'm too poor to care about face. My mom has uremia, and dialysis costs tens of thousands of yuan a year. My dad, while not seriously ill, has high blood pressure and blood sugar, and his medicine costs a lot of money every month. I'm almost 35 and still single."

The more he spoke, the lower his voice became, until it was almost inaudible.

"I understand. Everyone has to face some setbacks and it's not easy. But isn't 30 million a bit too much to ask for? Can we lower the price a bit?" said Uncle San.

"Don't think too much about it. If I say 30 million, it means 30 million." Zhao Duan's tone was firm.

"Brother Zhao, you have to be flexible. You want to get rich with this money, but it may not be fair to Yang Yanan. Although the value of life cannot be measured by money, there are standards for compensation. If you really want to sue, do you think the court will support the request for 30 million?" Chu Sen said.

Zhao Duan sat there for a long time and sighed, "No matter what the court decides, I want 30 million. I won't give up even if it's a penny less." Zhao Duan didn't ask for a high price and then pay the money back on the spot as Chu Sen said. He insisted on 30 million and he had to give it to him whether he wanted it or not.

This situation is certainly not normal.

Uncle San said calmly, "Mr. Zhao, how did you calculate the 30 million you requested? Could you tell us roughly?"

Zhao Duan raised his head and looked at his uncle. His eyes seemed a little panicked. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I can't say it, I can't say it."