Kyoto Shenyin Love Story

Chapter 234 First Salary

The start of construction and land sacrifice is an indispensable traditional ceremony before building a house.

The so-called "Dizhen Sacrifice" refers to the use of intermediaries such as priests to send greetings to the gods or spirits who have always lived in the land and apply for the use of this land in order to ensure the safety of the house and the harmonious coexistence of humans and gods.

For most small-scale shrines, holding town festivals for local residents is indeed one of the most common businesses on weekdays, but Fuyun Shrine is an exception.

Because apart from Soya who joined in April, there is no second male clergyman who can be called a "priest" in the club, and they are all witches.

Although there is no hard and fast rule on gender, most clients hope that the clergyman who presides over the town festival in their homestead is a male priest who at least looks mature and stable, not a priestess who can be part-time for ordinary high school students.

As for the other man in the shrine, Takayuki Sugawara, the palace priest, he was quite diligent in the early years, but now he personally presides over Shinto ceremonies such as Jizhen Festival as a symbol of status or wealth, and never accepts ordinary people. A commission from the family.

After coming and going, the nearby residents and construction companies also gradually learned that Fuyun Shrine has not received an entrustment to host the town festival for many years.

Until this morning, Soya agreed to the client who came to the door on his own initiative.

"Is this address... I know."

After receiving the note, Jingzi glanced at the address, "Today at two o'clock in the afternoon, we will come to our house to hold a land town ceremony for Ms. Yamazaki's land."

Ms. Yamazaki nodded, and then said with a little hesitation: "For the fee..."

There was no expression on Jingzi's face, "That's the gift money for worshiping the gods, you can just give it as you see."

"Ah... ok, I see."

After asking some more questions, Ms. Yamazaki left the shrine.

The sun is rising.

Soya glanced at the sky, and when he looked back, he found Kyoko looking at him.

"……I see."

She smiled.

"It's still early, I'll look for information on Shinto rituals, Soya-san should get acquainted here first."

"it is good."

Jingzi left for a while, turned around and walked into the social affairs office.

When she came out again, she took two books and a note and handed them to him.

"The ceremony of the Dizhen Festival is not complicated. Soya can understand the whole process as long as he reads it once. The first thing to pay attention to is the intonation of the congratulations to the gods during the 'Xiuba Ritual'..."

Before the sun rose to the center of the sky, Soya stayed by Kyoko's side, flipping through the book and the notes she had organized, and took the time to study the ritual process of the ground town festival.

"is that OK?"

Driving the car, Minami Noma glanced at Soya next to him, "The client's residential base is in front."

"probably."

"Don't be nervous." She slowed down the car. "Ordinary people can't see anything. They forget the ritual process and shake the wat board to pretend to worship God. Jingzi and I will remind you."

"..."

Soya shook his head, and had already changed into a thick light blue hunting suit.

"It's really fine."

"Really. Then it's up to you, Priest Soya."

To hold a town festival, you need to build a shrine and an altar, and you have to bring some things from the shrine. Noma Minami just came to serve as a driver for them.

After stopping the car, Soya opened the door and helped Kyoko carry it in the back seat.

Minami Noma did not do anything but drive, but dealt with the client, his wife and the construction company, and explained to them the points that need attention during the ceremony.

"That little priest is so young..."

"Ah...it does look younger, but he has debuted for five or six years, and he has a lot of experience hosting local festivals, so don't worry at all."

When they came to the homestead, people from the construction company had already circled the specific location of the house with ropes.

Walking to the middle of the open space, Soya and Kyoko started to build the altar, and then placed the altar in the middle.

After placing the offerings of sake, fruit, and rice prepared by the Yamazaki couple on the altar, and inserting a few new bamboo plants around, Soya took a deep breath, and the ceremony was almost ready to begin.

"Wait a moment……"

Jingzi walked up to him, pulled the priest's uniform on her body, and adjusted the black hat on her head.

"Is it hot?" she said softly.

Zongya nodded, and waved the wat board in his hand again, "It would be great if this was a fan..."

Jingzi chuckled, "The fans are for women."

He sighed softly.

"let's start."

"Ah."

Holding a wat board, Soya stood in front of the altar, and the client, his wife, and two staff members of the construction company also gathered around.

He beat the drum, and he announced the official start of the ceremony.

All bowed down and worshiped God.

Afterwards, Soya picked up the imperial coins folded from white paper, and first scanned the Tsukiyomi's seat, followed by the small mound of dirt on the ground, and finally came to the client couple with their heads bowed. Head waving a few times.

Before returning to the altar, he took a deep breath, and then began to chant long prayers for a smooth construction in the special tone taught to him by Kyoko.

The two witches stood at each side, looking at the priest and the people in front of them with solemn expressions.

Postscript ceremony, seance ritual, congratulations chanting, rice sprinkled with salt... According to the established procedure, Sogu carried out the ceremony in an orderly manner.

During this period, there are also parts that require the participation of the homeowner and the construction company.

"Hey, hey, oh!"

The Yamazaki couple and two staff members successively picked up the wooden shovel and shoveled the mound three times while shouting.

Then there is the "Jade String Blessing", in which the homeowner's family of the newly built house presents the "Jade String", that is, the branches of Yangtong tree, to the gods.

"Please turn the 'jade string' half a circle clockwise, with the roots facing the gods."

Soya reminded the branch to the Yamazaki couple.

The two did the same, and he continued to remind: "Two salutes, two claps, and one hand salute."

After reading a few more congratulatory words, Soya poured a glass of sake for the four people in front of him and himself at the same time, and made a final toast.

"Cheers, please."

With different expressions, the four adults drank the sake in one gulp, while he poured it down to the mound.

After removing all the offerings, Zongya took out the town house talisman and handed them to the owner of the house together.

"Please put the 'Zhenwu' in the high place of the room, and send it back to Fuyun Shrine after the building is completed."

"Ah, okay..."

After receiving the town house talisman, Ms. Yamazaki handed over an envelope tied with a three-color rope, on which was written "first ear material", which is the gift money for the gods.

Zong Gu took it, squeezed it twice calmly, and didn't feel how many ten thousand yuan banknotes were stuffed inside.

This is the end of the Earth Town Festival, and nearly an hour has passed since this complete set of ritual procedures went down.

Soya and Kyoko packed up their things, Minami Noma said a few more auspicious words about the smooth construction and the well-being of the house, and then returned to the car.

"how much is it?"

"..."

Soya took out the exquisite envelope dedicated to the first ear material, "Shall I open it now?"

"Then why don't you let Zongya send the gift money to the gods?"

"Okay."

"Good head, open it quickly."

Opening the envelope, there are five brand new Fukuzawa Yukichi inside.

"Fifty thousand yen... It's not a small amount."

Minami Noma drew a card and couldn't remember the last year when he took a share from the gift money of the town festival.

"This is mine, the rest should be divided between you two."

Unexpectedly, the gift money dedicated to the gods would be divided up before returning to the shrine, Soya shook his head, and handed the entire envelope to Kyoko behind him.

"..."

She looked at him and silently took the envelope.

Minami Noma watched calmly.

Is this the first salary handed in...

(End of this chapter)