Reed Moon hides the dragon, Waxing Moon celebrates the year.
November just passed, followed closely by the Waxing Moon.
In the season of icy cold, Boss Cheng of the Incense and Candle Shop across the street, wrapped in a thick cotton jacket with an outer robe, was curious when Xu Qing went to fetch incense candles:
"The weather is getting colder by the day, don't you fear the chill wearing just that robe on your outings?"
"I'm young and full of energy, what fear of the cold! Besides, this robe I'm wearing is woven with cotton, thick enough already, unlike Boss Cheng, who has a delicate body and needs to wrap in bedding to go out."
Since the start of winter, Xu Qing has made a special effort to wear cotton robes, just to prevent others from noticing anything unusual.
In addition, he had the embroiderer weave a scarf, just enough to cover his mouth.
The reason for this was that zombies do not emit warmth from their bodies, so even in the coldest weather, they do not breathe out white steam when speaking.
Xu Qing has always paid attention to these details, but did not expect to meet someone like Cheng Caiyun, who was born to fear the cold.
If it weren't for the frequent sight of people in cotton robes on the streets, he might have thought he had missed a detail, revealing a flaw!
"You better be careful, I heard that quite a few people froze to death this year..."
"I know about this," Xu Qing sighed, "I've handled quite a few of those frozen corpses lately, you can feel my hand, it's still icy cold, maybe I've caught the chill too."
Seeing Xu Qing stretch out his hand, Cheng Caiyun's face turned green.
This disgusting thing, whoever wants to touch it can touch it!
Seeing Cheng Caiyun avoid like the plague, Xu Qing chuckled.
After leaving the Incense and Candle Shop, Xu Qing went to the Paper Mache Shop for some paper effigies.
Since mastering the magic to transform paper effigies into reality, his paper crafting skills have taken a new leap.
However, to support the business of neighbors, Xu Qing did not monopolize all business on the street.
Even though due to various reasons, the coffin shop and shroud store have become his enterprises, he still cherishes the days when everyone collectively managed this funeral street.
"I'll go check the broker later, find a young associate to run the coffin shop, someone durable..."
...
People say once Laba Festival passes, it's nearly New Year, in Xu Qing's eyes, as long as daily sent-offs of the dead occur, it's like celebrating the New Year.
While watching other shops bustling to meet targets, Xu Qing glanced at his own shop, lacking any semblance of the New Year's atmosphere!
This won't do, festivals should have festival vibes, this lifelessness is unacceptable.
Thus, not long after the Funeral Shop's autumn discount ended, Xu Qing immediately launched the Spring Festival special offer.
As Laba Festival arrived, Shopkeeper Xu rose early, posting a new notice at the door, stating—'Cold days, warm hearts, Waxing Moon celebrates the year, fear not the worldly troubles.'
Beside the column-aligned announcement were details of the promotional activities.
The essence is welcoming the New Year, embracing five blessings, just by entering the shop, customers receive a Five Blessings Gift.
The gift includes paper ingots, finely cut afterlife coins, long-burning vigil lamp, filial piety scarf, along with a special service of obituaries personally composed by the new scholar.
In past years, during the Waxing Moon, Xuan Yu would simply squatting aside, silently watching humans busy with activities, unable to truly resonate with the peculiar things humans did during the Waxing Moon.
However, this Waxing Moon, Xu Immortal Family has conscripted all idle cats and mice idlers in the Immortal Hall as temporary staff.
Though the shop lacked living humans, it was indeed bustling.
"Xuan Yu, help me check if this couplet is aligned?"
The yellow-clad man had his back to Xu Qing, who was perched on the man's shoulders, placing the freshly written couplet on the door.
The girl dressed in a black jacket and skirt seriously helped Xu Qing adjust the couplet's position.
In the past, Xuan Yu would be reluctant to frequently assume human form due to saving incense, but now due to the Profound Lady Temple's relief efforts for disaster victims, Cat Immortal Hall's incense surpassed a million, not short of using incense for transformation.
For this, Xu Qing even gently persuaded that during New Year, people would change their appearance, don new apparel, and Xuan Yu should not be an exception.
Subsequently, it's likely Xu Qing awkwardly had Xuan Yu reveal its original form, and then took it to the embroiderer to custom make attires.
On the thirtieth of the Waxing Moon, the Funeral Shop surprisingly closed for a day.
This day, the entire Xu Immortal Family gathered at Shuimen Bridge Villa, besides celebrating New Year together, there was an important matter.
That was to hold an annual meeting at the Immortal Hall, make a yearly summary, and distribute incense for bonuses.
When Gu Zixu joined Cat Immortal Hall, the twenty thousand strands of incense he amassed were included in the Hall affairs, now Xu Qing returned him fifty thousand incense strands, and any other immortals received no less than ten thousand incense strands.
Estimating there's a million incense strands left, Xu Qing said, "The incense is a bit sparse, don't mind it, let's get through this year, next year earnestly run the Hall, I'll compensate properly."
Guan Dazhuang was dumbfounded, Gu Zixu trembled with hands, speechless for a moment.
Only Huang Xiaoliu remained most composed, as early on when two thousand incense strands bombarded on the head, this not-very-advanced yellow weasel just fainted.
Judging by the state, it won't awaken within three or two hours.
At this moment, the immortals all felt parched, other Halls might not see ten thousand incense strands amassed in a year, yet from the Sect Leader's perspective, it seemed he considered it too little.