Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 120 Heartbreaking
Monk Zhiyuan naturally wouldn't choose the one-pound-two-copper-coin option. The female benefactor had said that if lotus root charcoal wasn't profitable, she could earn it back from other sources.

But to be fair, things like lotus root charcoal are naturally better when they're as cheap as possible.

After pondering for a long time, Monk Zhiyuan first looked at Wang Yan. He had some acquaintance with Benefactor Wang, but this time Benefactor Wang showed no intention of helping him at all.

Since he couldn't rely on others, he could only tentatively ask, "How about three coins per pound?"

Xie Yuyan said, "This year you will sell it to me for 20 coins per pound. Next year, the price of crushed coal will definitely rise. At that time, we will calculate the price according to the market price. I will make a profit of about 30% per pound of lotus root charcoal."

"Another price increase?" Monk Zhiyuan couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

"The great monk only cares about benefiting the people of Daming Prefecture, but he doesn't realize that arbitrarily set prices will hurt other merchants who make lotus root charcoal. Not everyone can get cheap crushed charcoal."

“If the abbot does not trust those merchants, he may have the monks keep an eye on the prices of crushed coal in various places. If they find that someone is deliberately raising prices, they should stop doing business with any merchant who has done business with them once it is verified. For merchants who are not related to us, we can sell them cheap lotus root charcoal so that they cannot succeed.”

Monk Zhiyuan nodded, "That's very good."

Wang Yan sighed inwardly. The great monk had unknowingly taken on an important task and had begun to devote himself wholeheartedly to Xie Yuyan's lotus root charcoal business.

The monk Zhiyuan then asked, "Then why must it be a 30% profit?"

"If there's no profit, who would be willing to sell lotus root charcoal? Small merchants need to support their families, and charcoal carriers also need to earn some hard-earned money. If profits aren't made, how many people would be willing to enter this trade?"

"A regular hired worker earns one hundred coins a day, but a clever and shrewd small merchant earns 30% profit. Is that a lot?"

“They need to mine coal and hire people to do the work,” Xie Yuyan said, looking at the monk Zhiyuan. “They also need to pay taxes to the court, which is what they deserve.”

Thinking about it that way, it makes sense.

Xie Yuyan continued, "If the monks in the temple go to work in the mines, I will give them the same wages."

Whether or not a monk is willing to earn this money depends on the monk Zhiyuan's abilities.

Xie Yuyan was very annoyed by the monks and Taoists who were supported by others. Every year, apart from the imperial family, the number of monks and Taoists in Daliang increased the most. They devoured the land, and the court could not collect taxes.

These people really should do something practical.

With the current reputation of Monk Zhiyuan, he cannot change these things, but he can take it slowly. She has only made a start.

Monk Zhiyuan said, "Then... as the female benefactor said, but where is the broken coal?"

Xie Yuyan walked out of the meditation room and pointed to the pagoda forest not far away.

“It has been protected by the monks for a long time, and it’s time to use it to benefit the people.”

The stupa forest is a burial place for monks, and coal is dug from below to make charcoal for the Buddha.

If this gets out, the reputation of Baode Temple's charcoal will surely be spread, and Baode Temple will come back to life.

Xie Yuyan took the document from Mama Yu's hand: "The abbot had no objections and signed the document with me, selling me the broken coal from Baode Temple. I will pay the temple money by weight every month. After the document is signed, I will pay Baode Temple 500 guan as a deposit."

Monk Zhiyuan stared blankly at the document. The female benefactor had already decided before coming to the temple that he would definitely agree.

When she uttered the words "Buddha Charcoal," he was already unable to refuse.

He should have known better than to listen to her.

Only after signing the documents did Monk Zhiyuan reluctantly place the lotus root charcoal in his hand on the table.

Wang Yan, standing nearby, couldn't help but shake his head: "Master Zhiyuan, what if Madam Xie changes her mind now and doesn't call this Buddhist charcoal? Anyway, she has already obtained the broken stone charcoal, and what happens afterward has nothing to do with you."

Zhiyuan was taken aback. How come he hadn't thought of that?
The monk's heart broke again and again, and he felt that it was about to be pieced back together.

Wang Yan clearly saw through it, but didn't warn him earlier; now it seems like he's being laughed at. Xie Yuyan smiled and said, "So, Great Monk, please don't call me a bad person anymore. Everyone likes to hear nice things. After all, how much silver I get for lotus root charcoal depends entirely on my conscience."

“Amitabha,” Zhiyuan said against his will, “Well done, well done, the female benefactor is a kind and benevolent person.”

Xie Yuyan stood up: "I'm going to take a walk in the temple."

She didn't like temples, but she had been recuperating there years ago and had received kindness from the monks. Now that she was revisiting the place, she lit an incense stick for the temple.

Xie Yuyan left with Mama Yu and Madam Zhang, leaving Zhiyuan and Wang Yan alone in the meditation room.

Monk Zhiyuan stared blankly at the lotus root charcoal for a long time, as if he had finally let go of his worries. Just as he was about to speak to Wang Yan, he heard Wang Yan say, "So the great monk has broken the precepts after all."

He said those words against his will, wasn't that breaking his vow? Zhiyuan felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if he had been stabbed again.

Wang Yan leisurely poured two cups of tea.

Zhiyuan picked up a cup of tea and just put it in his mouth.

“Great monk, I have found the person I am looking for.”

Zhiyuan looked up at Wang Yan, about to swallow his tea before asking, but Wang Yan saw through his meaning and said directly, "Just now... right in front of me."

Zhiyuan swallowed a cup of tea that immediately went astray, causing him to choke and cough.

……

Returning to the same place, the only thing unchanged is the scenery in the mountains. Many years later, the temple has been renovated, and even the Bodhisattvas inside have been gilded.

A group of young novices were chanting scriptures. Xie Yuyan waited outside the door for them to finish and come out before looking at them one by one.

There was no familiar face among them.

It's possible that Master isn't with Monk Zhiyuan yet. Judging from Master's age, it will indeed take another year or two before he becomes the Grandmaster's disciple.

After talking with the monk Zhiyuan, she was convinced that this person was the grandmaster her master had mentioned. When her master recounted the grandmaster's past, the grandmaster in her words was indeed clumsy.

They wanted to protect everything, but were powerless to do so.

"Who is my wife looking for?"

Xie Yuyan turned his head and found Wang Yan standing not far away, his gaze also fixed on the monks.

Xie Yuyan said, "I didn't look for anyone, I was just very curious about the monks eating vegetarian food."

“Zhiyuan won’t give us vegetarian meals,” Wang Yan said. “It’s not that he’s petty, but he’s afraid of hearing something he shouldn’t have.”

Xie Yuyan couldn't help but smile; it was rare for Wang Yan to talk to her so easily.

“I’m afraid the abbot won’t be able to agree,” Xie Yuyan said. “I just remembered that I have something to discuss with him.”

It was called a discussion, but it was really just a way to get Zhiyuan to agree.

Wang Yan said, "Madam Xie seems to have forgotten what happened before, and doesn't seem to be in a hurry?"

“There’s no use in being anxious,” Xie Yuyan’s brows relaxed. “Instead of being distressed about this, we should keep moving forward.”

"Besides... I've always felt that important things are unforgettable, while the things we forget might have been insignificant to begin with."

For some reason, after Xie Yuyan finished speaking, he suddenly noticed that Wang Yan's smile had deepened, his eyes had narrowed slightly, and his gaze had become somewhat unfocused, as if he was thinking about something.

(End of this chapter)