The furnishings in the main room had been cleared out, leaving only the Eight Immortals Table normally used for meals, pushed against the foot of the wall.
Lu Xingmin moved swiftly, directing Qin Geng to set up a "corpse board."
It was actually just a door plank laid across two benches, but in the funeral trade, it was the deceased's final warm bed in the mortal world.
"Make sure he goes smoothly. Don't bump the doorframe."
As he helped lift Master Zhu Xin's shoulders, Lu Xingmin murmured the proper rules under his breath.
Qin Geng supported Master Zhu Xin's feet. They were icy cold and stiff to the touch.
Working together, the two of them placed the old man securely on the corpse board.
As soon as they had settled him, Lu Xingmin pulled a copper coin from his breast and stuffed it into Master Zhu Xin's mouth.
"This is called a mouth coin. Once he gets there, whether he needs to pay his way or grease some palms, he has to have something in his mouth. He can't go there empty-mouthed. That's how you become a hungry ghost."
After finishing all this, Lu Xingmin dusted off his hands and glanced at the sky outside.
"Fifth Master, things are more or less settled here. The rest is all fussy work—we'll have to run around."
Lu Xingmin pointed outside. "The ice coffin has to be ordered from Yong'an Firm in West City. Their ice is old ice dug out of cellars—hard and solid, enough to hold him down."
"And these funeral notices have to be written by a scholar and then sent out. I'll personally arrange the funeral musicians, the master of ceremonies, and that whole messy assortment of paper offerings."
Qin Geng nodded. "Sorry for the trouble, Shopkeeper Lu. If