CHAPTER 1297: CHAPTER 662: COFFIN

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"No, no." Old Master Lian hurriedly waved his hand and said, "I just walked here and took a casual look."

"Oh dear, old master, you just said you wanted to buy them earlier." The wood vendor said, "As I was telling you, these two pieces you’ve taken a liking to—if you don’t buy them now and come back after strolling around, they will certainly be bought by someone else. You should think it over. Wood like this, not only in our Qingyang Town market, but even in the whole county, you won’t find better."

Old Master Lian’s gaze involuntarily fell on the pile of wood behind the vendor, with a doubtful expression on his face.

Lian Shouxin was not a fool. Old Master Lian had denied too hastily earlier, and now exhibited such an expression; naturally, he guessed the truth of the matter.

"Father, what kind of wood do you want to buy, and what do you plan to do with it?" Lian Shouxin asked Old Master Lian.

"It’s nothing much." Old Master Lian replied with some insincerity.

The vendor, being quite astute, stepped aside slightly and pointed to the two planks behind him for Lian Shouxin to see.

"Old master has a good eye; he immediately took a liking to these two." The wood vendor informed Lian Shouxin.

Lian Manman also looked in the direction the vendor pointed to. They were not raw lumber, but two enormous wooden doors. The doors were evidently aged, with the paint already flaking, revealing the wood grain underneath. Lian Manman was not an expert in wood, but her house had been built with much wood purchased with help from Zhang Qingshan, so she had come to know a thing or two about wood.

These two door panels were made of fruit pine originating from Liaodong Prefecture. The wood grain was straight, and the rings indicated they were from trees at least a hundred years old. Fruit pine is resistant to decay and takes paint easily, making it a popular precious wood in Liaodong Prefecture. Moreover, the door panels had been carefully processed; the planks were very dry, with no cracks or other defects, and the thickness was roughly estimated to be at least two inches.

The wood vendor was already explaining to Lian Shouxin the origins of these two door panels, saying they were from a wealthy household in a neighboring county. Since the family had fallen into poverty, they had to pawn the doors to make a living. Such doors were only found in wealthy households, so sturdy that they could even resist small bandit raids. Ordinary families, with little worth stealing, would make do with simple wooden fences.

"Father, you want to buy these door panels; what do you intend to do with them?" Lian Shouxin asked, "I’ve come with the cart. If you fancy them, we can take them back right away."

Seeing the conversation had reached this point, Old Master Lian thought about it and decided to tell Lian Shouxin the truth.

"...intend to prepare a set of longevity wood..." Old Master Lian told Lian Shouxin.

"Old master, your vision is sharp. These are the ones." The wood vendor gave a thumbs-up, "I have to say, using these two planks for anything else would be a waste; they’re best suited for longevity wood."

Matters of life and death, in the eyes of the people of the Great Ming Dynasty, death was considered even more important than birth. For peasants living in poverty, they might not hold ceremonies for the birth of a child, but would not hesitate to spend all they had, even sell off essentials, to ensure a dignified funeral for a deceased elder.

And the top priority in organizing a funeral was to have a good coffin.

Perhaps because of a firm belief in an afterlife, and the afterlife being depicted vividly, the people of the Great Ming did not shy away from death. If conditions allowed, most would prepare a good coffin for themselves while still alive. Those wealthier and more powerful sometimes prepared not only the coffins but went as far as building tombs, like some emperors who started constructing their burial sites as soon as they ascended the throne.

A coffin is the final resting place for a person. It seems that having a satisfactory coffin, knowing there’s a good place to sleep after death, made them less afraid of dying.

Although she could not fully understand it, Lian Manman was acutely aware of the significance of a coffin in the eyes of the citizens of the Great Ming Dynasty. She had even read in history books about an incident during a particularly fierce battle, where a general promised that fallen soldiers would have coffins prepared for them, unleashing the soldiers’ potential as they fought fearlessly.

Old Master Lian had worked hard all his life. Previously, he had been optimistic about his health, or didn’t think himself too old. Besides, he was focused on supporting Lian Shouren and Lian Jizu, and hadn’t attended to this matter. Of course, back then, Old Master Lian probably thought he would wait for Lian Shouren to bring honor to the family and then choose a suitable longevity wood for his status. But later, with all the trouble in the family, Old Master Lian paid even less attention to this.