bayedsolid 第156章 山1生水1程，“友人”与你1道过1程。
第156章 山1生水1程，“友人”与你1道过1程。
Xiao Si observed that Yu Zhanmo would eagerly jump into different lakes every morning to begin his breaststroke journey.
Today, the lake is surrounded by reeds that are three meters tall and as thick as a thumb biscuit, stretching as far as the eye can see.
As autumn arrives, geese and cranes migrate south.
Silver flowers danced in the reeds, creating an extremely romantic scene.
Xiao Si said softly, "I understand, just like when I was with Brother Mu Tou before."
Back then, we helped Ninth Master, which was me and my brother Qiu Rongmu, watching them build earthen houses and brick houses, with woven reeds covering the roofs.
The young man asked curiously, "A woven 'tail'?"
Xiao Si laughed and explained, "Haha, it's not a tail, it's the 'wei' in reeds, the 'ba' in fence, or it could be called a mat fence."
"Shall we wash it?"
"Haha, it's the 'xi' in 'xizi' (席子), like the 'xiba' (席坝). Just like the kang mat in Northeast China."
"The Kangxi Emperor of Northeast China?"
"Haha, a kang mat! Not Emperor Kangxi."
"It has a main beam for support, and also purlins."
"Rim, wood plus a purlin?"
"Yes, purlin is a reed mat."
"If you sit on the roof, there are many layers of hay on it, right?"
"Yes, it requires a special technique to fix it with alkaline mud, so that even a torrential downpour cannot penetrate it."
At this moment, Xiao Si was busy removing the inner pith from the reed rhizomes to make reed strips.
But she wasn't weaving mats; she was making cricket cages.
Recalling the cold winter, Little Si and Brother Wood enjoyed the fun of riding a horse-drawn sled together.
The horse, naturally, was the mount that Ninth Master gave to Brother Mu—the "Horse-Deer Beast".
In Xiao Si's heart, Brother Mu is not only an excellent veterinarian, but also a master craftsman.
He made many useful little gadgets using all the gifts that nature gave him.
And those warm felt boots on Xiao Si's feet were also made by him!
Little Si watched as he boiled the wool, then used that magical technique to press it tightly layer by layer, finally creating a pair of adorable, chubby boots that were incredibly sturdy and super durable.
These boots are so thick that snowmelt on the ice can't possibly get in.
Even if Xiao Si accidentally steps on a sharp reed stubble, these boots can protect her feet from injury.
Wearing these boots, Xiao Si walks like Donald Duck, waddling around, which is quite amusing.
Although Brother Mu always teases her, he actually likes her very much.
Back then, they would typically spend an hour cutting reeds, an hour playing, and an hour eating delicious food... They lived a very comfortable life.
To keep warm, Xiao Si had to wear these three-layered felt boots...
Who could have predicted that they would get separated during Xiao Si's repeated time travels?
Now living in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Xiao Si opened her curious eyes wide, like a clever little fox, and looked at Qu Youjiu, who was also weaving a reed basket, and asked:
"Didn't it say that Li Bai could only temporarily bury Wu Zhinan on the shore of Dongting Lake before continuing his journey to the southeast?"
Wasn't the plan to return and retrieve your friend's remains after traveling through Southeast Asia?
...I had heard of Li Bai's story of "burying his friend with his bones," but I never expected to witness the "perpetrator" in my own time travel. What exactly happened?
Are you a poet from a parallel universe? How could you do such a thing? How could you bring yourself to do it?
Qu Youjiu smiled slightly and continued what he was doing:
"Little Si, your curiosity is truly unmatched. You come from the future and study history, so you must be familiar with the Dunhuang documents, right?"
I am very familiar with the Esoteric Buddhist text, "The Special Practice of Cleansing Bones and Transforming the Ushnishavijaya Buddha."
And you're probably familiar with the doctrines in the Lingbao classics of Taoism, such as "opening the way to life and death, restoring decayed bones to life" and "refining the soul with the essence of the sun, giving life to withered remains," right? Don't forget, Li Bai was no ordinary man. He wrote "Ode to the Dharani Banner of the Buddha's Crown at Chongming Temple," which was the work of a high-ranking Buddhist monk. He also believed in Taoism and received Taoist ordination...
Therefore, Li Bai's "burying his friend's bones" was probably influenced by these beliefs—whether it's Tantric Buddhism or Taoism, they all advocate "the possibility of living on after death."
To put it bluntly, this is what I think: my friend is a materialistic guy, but he's got a strong backbone and deserves to be buried.
"What if I could be reborn again? With my Taoist mastery, look at my refined, scholarly air after this time travel—it's absolutely divine! How could I not give it a try?!"
Xiao Si listened and nodded, feeling that the explanation was like taking a bite of a big, sweet melon, and it seemed to make a lot of sense.
Xiao Si recalled a trip she took to Meizhou, a Hakka-speaking region:
“I’ve heard of this ‘secondary burial,’ which is like a seasonal cleaning where the remains are given a makeover. But I’m curious how to handle the remains without offending anyone, even if I have faith to back me up.”
Seeing that Xiao Si seemed to be deep in thought, Qu Youjiu explained:
"Actually, secondary burial is not a simple matter; it involves more than just the issue of 'cleaning large items'."
It's actually part of migration history, similar to how we move to different places—except they were moving human bones.
He added mysteriously:
"Generally speaking, the first step is to bury the deceased, and then leave the body for a few years until it has decomposed. Then the relatives will take out the bones, put them in a pottery jar, build a new tomb in a new place, erect a monument, and give the deceased a new 'resting place'."
Xiao Si let out an "Oh," thinking to himself that this was a second vacation arranged for the ancestor, and a chance to inspect the new residence.
However, she soon had a new question: "What if it disturbs the consciousness and soul?"
Qu Youjiu said, "Your question is quite interesting! However, the chances of disturbing you are not high."
This custom is actually closely related to the historical migrations of some families or ethnic minorities. Especially during their long periods of migration, they would always carry the remains of their deceased relatives, fearing that their ancestors might 'get lost' or that they themselves wouldn't be able to find them.
Yu Zhanmo, who had remained silent, nodded and added:
"This is somewhat similar to some ancient secondary burial practices. However, in our history, secondary burial wasn't just limited to initial burial. Xiao Si, do you know how the ancients handled burial of bones?"
Xiao Si was completely bewildered: "It's really hard to accept this kind of 'secondary service'..."
Qu Youjiu continued:
"Actually, there were three ways of secondary burial in ancient times. Simply put, some people buried the body first, and then took it out and reburied it after the body had decomposed."
In fact, what the Xiao Jiu brothers did was to cremate the body first and then rebury it, also known as "washing the bones".
This method was also used in large stone tombs in Northeast China, stone coffin tombs in Southwest China, and in the Majiayao, Zongri, and Kayue cultures in Northwest China.
Another method involves digging out the bones, slightly 'repackaging' them, moving them to a different location, and then performing the ritual.
However, the lack of DNA makes it easy for errors to occur, and this phenomenon is more common in Neolithic and Bronze Age cultural cemeteries in the Gansu and Qinghai regions of Northwest China.
Xiao Si's eyes widened as she pondered, "For the ancients, wouldn't that be a huge deal?"
Yu Zhanmo said leisurely from the side:
"This is basically the same idea Little Nine Brothers had for burying their friends' bones. Little Si, you've finally caught up, haven't you?"
Little Si looked as if it had been struck by lightning:
"Oh! So it's 'bone cleansing upgrade'! I knew it! Burying friends is such a simple thing, but it was made so hard to understand. It turns out it's his high-level operation of 'transcending life and death'! This cultural imagination is off the charts!"
Qu Youjiu understood Li Bai best:
"So, Xiao Si, ancient literati really knew how to do things in a 'hardcore' way! It was profound to the core, that's what made them true 'literati'! They brought the depth of 'art' to its ultimate limit!"
The thought of "extraordinary bone structure" sent a chill down Xiao Si's spine, instantly raising goosebumps.
"Huh? Brother Pudding, let's change the subject. If we really live to see the future, we'll probably all be buried in space! Drifting through space, we might even have to take a 'space travel' package!"
Yu Zhanmo smiled but remained silent.
Xiao Si said again, "I have read ancient books, you can't fool me."
According to historical records, Wu Zhinan was initially buried on the shore of Dongting Lake.
After Wu Zhinan's death, Li Bai, being short of money, could only temporarily bury him on the shore of Dongting Lake.
Several years later, Li Bai raised enough funds to move Wu Zhinan's remains to Jiangxia, which is now Wuchang, Hubei.
A more solemn funeral was held for his friend; such a loyal and devoted person will be rare in the future…
Qu Youjiu finally straightened up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the commotion before him, and calmed down.
He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Little Si is very studious, so the timeline you are in is several years in the future."
Yu Zhanmo was stunned for a moment before realizing that he had indeed returned to Gao Shi's childhood.
Qu Youjiu paused, then continued:
"On this New Year's Day, a new year begins, and the events of a few years ago are now in vain. Now, as I bury my good friend, I can finally put an end to one of my worries."
After he finished speaking, his gaze lingered on Xiao Si's face for a second, as if waiting for something.
Xiao Si raised an eyebrow, suddenly sensing that something was off: "What you're saying... sounds a bit strange. Is there something you're hiding from me?"
Qu Youjiu did not answer, but silently lowered his head, his gaze becoming deep, as if he were lost in some kind of memory.
"Brother Xiao Jiu?" Xiao Si was getting anxious, a sense of unease rising in his heart.
Qu Youjiu slowly raised his head, a cryptic smile playing on his lips:
"Little Si, have you ever thought that the cycle of history may never stop?"
The ancient practice of "secondary burial" may have involved more than just moving the bones on the surface.
Xiao Si's heart skipped a beat as she suddenly realized the hidden meaning in those words.
So she couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Brother Xiao Jiu, do you...do you know something?"
Qu Youjiu stared into the distance, his eyes gradually becoming vacant.
Some things can never be erased.
He turned, mounted his horse, and disappeared into the hazy night mist.
Xiao Si and Yu Zhanmo stood there, a strange sense of melancholy washing over them.
Looking back at that empty figure, a premonition suddenly arose—this 'bone cleansing' might be far more complex than they had discussed…
The truth of the matter awaits to be revealed in some unknown time and space.