"Lift the coffin!"
The eight married Embroidered-Clad Strongmen shouted together, hoisting the heavy coffin as they slowly rose.
Dressed in mourning hemp, Yang Ge stood before the coffin, tightly clutching the earthenware basin used to burn paper money, seemingly at a loss.
Liu Mang, who was calling out the instructions at one side, hurried over, took hold of the basin in his hands, and raised it above his head. "Smash the basin!" he called.
Crack.
The earthenware basin shattered against the ground.
With the basin broken, the living and the dead were parted.
Their bond in this lifetime had come to an end...
Three days later.
Yang Ge sat quietly beneath the grape arbor in his courtyard, reading the manual for Five Elements Returning to Origin Qi.
A grape leaf that had survived the winter drifted down soundlessly in the gentle spring breeze.
He bent to pick it up and gently slipped it between the pages of the manual.
Little Yellow rose from beside his feet and nudged his palm with a wet nose.
"Hungry?"
Yang Ge stroked the dog's head. "I'll go cook."
He set the manual on the table, stood, rolled up his sleeves, and headed for the kitchen.
Little Yellow followed with a drooping tail, then suddenly turned toward the courtyard gate after a few steps.
Bang, bang, bang.
Someone pounded hard on the gate.
Yang Ge put down the apron he had just taken off its hook and walked over to open the gate.
Liu Mang stood outside, raising a string of oil-paper packages and two jars of yellow rice wine. "Have you eaten?"
Yang Ge smiled. "Not yet."
Liu Mang stepped over the threshold. "Perfect!"
Yang Ge shut the gate and headed back toward the kitchen. "Take a seat. I'll steam some rice... A