"The eight Vajras under Chief Zhuang's command can lift a thousand-pound coffin, I've heard about it long ago."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Honest's face slightly reddened. Despite having many people in their Funeral House and a decent reputation, they ended up losing to a young guy. Although this had a lot to do with the Funeral Shop opening 'benevolent halls' and constantly lowering funeral profits, the other shops, selling paper money for burning, shrouds, and coffins, were still profitable.
This is the advantage of a monopolistic supply chain. Although the Funeral House also has paper crafts and incense candles, they are far inferior to those from Underground Street.
Aside from making a small profit with a large sale, the propaganda and announcements by the Funeral Shop are also very effective!
Posting ads at the city gates and Vegetable Market, having storytellers in teahouses slip in advertisements—is that something one could think of?
But crucially, someone really thought of it!
The bulletin board outside the city gate, the notifications at the Vegetable Market, these methods were nothing, but having storytellers in teahouses who amuse people insert funeral announcements was something only a truly shameless person could think of.
This idea is wicked and unconventional, but the problem is, it unexpectedly hit the mark. The patrons in the teahouse enjoyed it!
The concept is quite simple. The storytellers who amuse people talk about all sorts of things, and banter is routine. Instead of feeling unlucky about hearing about death, it became a bit of small fun. Regulars got used to it and would rather hear such ads mixed in, making a few jokes about it without getting genuinely upset. Instead, it deepened their impression of Underground Street.
Earlier today, when Zhuang Honest passed by the teahouse, they were even talking about Shopkeeper Xu's business!
Zhuang Honest was preoccupied, so he stood at the door to listen for a while and heard the storyteller say, "When it comes to the deceased, everyone thinks they're unlucky, but birth, old age, sickness, and death are things one will inevitably experience, so there's no need to fear them as if they're tigers. For example, in our Linjiang County, there is such an establishment, the Xu Family Store..."
"They handle funerals with 'genuine feelings and sincerity,' truly treating the dead like they're serving the living. Even if the person has no money, the Funeral Shop will credit and host the funeral. Why? So that in one's life, no matter how much suffering or poverty they've endured, they can die with dignity and closure!"
"The funerals organized by Underground Street are not for profit but to make the living feel at ease and the deceased rest in peace. This is not nonsense; if in one's lifetime they don't let Underground Street host a funeral, they've wasted their time here! And if they do let Underground Street serve them once, they'll definitely want to come back for a second time in the next life!"
The teahouse was filled with laughter and curses, but no one truly got angry, except for Zhuang Honest.
Because if it continued like this, their Funeral House would truly have to eat dirt!
And it didn't stop there; when their Funeral House wasn't carrying coffins, many old customers would come over to buy their incense candles.
But in the past two years, a particularly efficacious Bao Sheng Temple was built outside the city, funded by the county lord. There was a Sister Jin in the temple, a temple priest, who only used incense candles from Underground Street when procuring them.
Later, some strange rumor spread, saying the incense from Underground Street was good and that the Goddess Bao Sheng favored its smell. Whoever's family used the incense from Underground Street had twins the following year.
The devotees were initially skeptical, but when they asked the temple priest where the incense candles were sourced, it was Underground Street.
Though the speaker was unintentional, the listener took it to heart, and over time, the devotees slowly all started using Underground Street's incense candles.
Now, at the Jin Sect temple fair, or street vendors selling incense and candles, regardless of whether their incense candles came from Underground Street or not, they all had to hang the name of Underground Street!
Could the Funeral House hang that name? Definitely not; others could, but they could not!
If they did hang it, there would be no Shi Family Funeral House in Jin Sect anymore.
Of course, there is almost none now.
Zhuang Honest is the chief of Shi Family Funeral House's coffin bearers. He came to Xu Qing for the future of these coffin bearers.
"Shopkeeper Xu, I didn't come here for anything else, just to ask if you could provide us with a meal."
His words were sufficiently humble, so Xu Qing didn't immediately respond. Instead, he asked, "Did you come here with your Funeral House's consent?"
Zhuang Honest said dejectedly, "They're gone! The owners all left, the land of the Funeral House was sold cheaply to a broker, so consent is irrelevant."
"Gone? Even if the Funeral House stops, other businesses could still operate. Why would your shopkeeper be willing to sell the foundation so cheaply?"
Zhuang Honest shook his head and said, "War in the north, instability in Jin Sect, the Red-clothed Sect and Cangyi Group are causing trouble all over Jin Sect. Sooner or later, it will cause trouble. The old Shopkeeper has business in Jiangnan, and who knows when the northern rebels might reach the Capital City and Jin. We're just next to the Capital City, and if it truly comes to that point..."
Zhuang Honest sighed, "The old Shopkeeper is getting old, with a family to care for. He's afraid of war and the Red-clothed Sect. Just recently, his youngest son went out and didn't return until dusk, brought back by a girl in red. She asked the old Shopkeeper to help bury some people. The Red-clothed Sect is wanted by the Imperial Court as rebels..."
After hearing Zhuang Honest, Xu Qing fully understood the situation.
In chaotic times, monstrosities arise. With only the Celestial Heart Sect previously causing disturbances in Jin Sect, and now with the addition of the Red-clothed Sect and Cangyi Group, who knows how chaotic Jin Sect will become in the future.
Xu Qing agreed to Zhuang Honest's request. He had already planned to recruit people; ever since the Xu Family Store's fame rose. Besides Linjiang County, patrons from various regions of Jin Sect were also visiting his business. Relying solely on the neighborhood resources of Underground Street was becoming insufficient.
In these chaotic times, the corpses being sent would only increase.
"Zhuang Honest, come with me to the broker."
"To the broker?"
"For your eight or nine people, including the temporary coffin bearers we'll hire when busy, I have no place for you all to stay."
Xu Qing, leading Zhuang Honest and others, went all the way to the broker.
When Li Si saw Xu Qing, he no longer addressed him as Shopkeeper Xu, but as Younger Brother Xu. The Funeral House had recently sold the land to him. Now, in Linjiang County, the funeral business was dominated by the Xu Family. From now on, for any family's funeral arrangements, someone has to host and manage it, including Li Si himself.
"It's been a while, Younger Brother Xu. I've been thinking of hosting you one of these days, inviting you over to catch up. I never thought today you'd actually come!"
Xu Qing looked at Li Si with surprise, wondering why this person suddenly seemed so enthusiastic?
"Fourth Master, anything you need?"
"Nothing, nothing at all, I just purely want to share a few drinks with Younger Brother Xu. We've known each other for many years; there's no harm in catching up."
Li Si laughed and asked, "What brings you over today, Brother Xu?"
Xu Qing immediately explained about the Funeral House, "That Funeral House's storefront, I wish to purchase it. Fourth Master, please offer a reasonable price..."
"Tsk! I was wondering what the matter was. I bought that Funeral House for three hundred and fifty taels. If you need it urgently, you can take it on credit. We can't leave those coffin bearer masters without a place to stay, can we?"
Xu Qing knew Li Si was being polite. Taking it on credit meant they wouldn't get the property and land deeds!
Eventually, they agreed on a price: three hundred and sixty taels. When Xu Qing and others left, the accountant was still asking Li Si:
"We're busy dealing with this, not worrying about effort, and only earning ten taels of silver. Fourth Master, this is really just like opening a benevolent hall."
Li Si glanced at the accountant and said, "On the surface, we're not afraid of anything, and we manage everything. But all affairs under Linjiang County's ground will belong to Shopkeeper Xu. Let me ask you, earning money—does it mean people won't die? Haven't you considered how grand your funeral might be?"
The accountant realized suddenly that they and Fourth Master were indeed at the age where half their bodies were already in the grave!
If they could cultivate a good relationship with Shopkeeper Xu, who knows how grand their send-off might be!
The Funeral House was four or five miles from the broker. Xu Qing went to check the route, took a spare set of keys, and then returned alone to Underground Street.
Passing the Government Office, through the Vegetable Market, just as Xu Qing was about to return to the Funeral Shop, he suddenly turned his head to look behind him: "Come out!"
As his words fell, from behind a pile of old burlap bags in the corner of the street, a boy with a topknot, about five or six years old, stepped out. Then, a little girl dressed in a skirt with red strings on her head appeared behind him.
The girl was only two or three years old, seemingly a bit shy. After coming out, she hid behind the boy, clutching the boy's coat with her little hands, appearing quite afraid of Xu Qing and trying to pull the boy to leave quickly.
All our bros have their families in Jin Sect, nobody is willing to go to Jiangnan,
we don't know any other crafts apart from carrying coffins and organizing funerals."