Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 297 Going Home
Yan Sui realized that his master's mood would improve whenever the topic of saving people came up.

Buddha is important, but food and seeds are also important.

When the weather warms up, it's time to start planting. How much grain will grow from the seeds obtained from this Dharma assembly? How many people will it feed? Even Yan Sui, this child, can calculate this clearly.

Yan Sui tugged at the corner of his master's monk's robe: "In a while, my fellow disciples will be going down the mountain."

When people come to borrow seeds, we don't just give them to them casually; the monks have to go down the mountain to find out what's going on. Although the seeds will be collected later, they should be given to those who truly need them.

This is why Madam Xie placed the grain seeds in the temple.

At least some people, because they believe in Buddha, will not lie to claim the grain seeds. This is why Madam Xie, after the autumn harvest, not only takes back the grain seeds but also collects profits.

The master questioned Madam Xie about this matter, saying that the temple should not do this. It was clearly said that she was donating grain seeds, but she still wanted to collect profits. How was she any different from those merchants and wealthy people?

Madam Xie said to her master: "Can the profits flow into the hands of the poor?"

The master was stunned.

No matter what it is, if you can make a profit of 10%, you might not attract attention. If you make a profit of 20%, people will start to tamper with it. If you make a profit of 30%, people will form gangs and turn it into a livelihood. If you make more than 30%, who knows what you might do.

The old lady also said that if the temple can guarantee that 60% of the grain seeds can be cultivated by the poor people this year, the people will indeed have a much better life thanks to these grain seeds, and the interest rate will be reduced next year.

The master agreed.

Therefore, distributing grain seeds this year is of utmost importance. The monks in the temple all need to go down the mountain to find out the situation before lending out the seeds. However, Yan Sui felt that his master would definitely lose this time.

Monk Zhiyuan nodded: "They will set off one after another in a few days. This trip will also be a test for them."

Yan Sui asked, "So, are we about to descend the mountain soon?"

Zhiyuan had no choice but to respond.

Benefactor Xie had arranged everything at Baode Temple meticulously. The monks were to go down the mountain to oversee the grain production, while he himself was to inspect the Buddhist charcoal and clay stoves being made in various locations. Meeting Benefactor Xie might have been an essential step on his path of spiritual practice.

Yan Sui was overjoyed: "Should we go to Bianjing?"

Zhiyuan was taken aback. He looked at his little apprentice and after a while, he reached out and poked the little apprentice's forehead.

The young apprentice is getting wilder and wilder. Before, he would just sneak down the mountain to get some vegetarian food. Now, he goes to the morning and evening markets in the imperial camp every day and brings back news from down the mountain, telling him everything in detail.

The monk originally intended to stay away from worldly affairs, but now Zhiyuan felt that he was living in the world.

Yan Sui would also earn some money by running errands for others. There would always be people who didn't want to get up early to go to the market. For example, some people wanted to eat the rice cooked in Grandma Li's big pot, but if they went a little late, they definitely wouldn't be able to get any.

Yan Sui could collect the deposits from those people a day in advance, buy the food the next day, and deliver it, earning a few coins as a delivery fee. Don't underestimate the small amount; with a few trips, he could have everything he needed.

When there was a market in front of the temple, Yan Sui was nowhere to be seen; he would definitely not return to the temple until the market had closed.

Zhiyuan couldn't help but say, "Your hair is getting longer and longer."

Yan Sui's hair was even blacker and shinier than before, making him look even more like a young Taoist abbot. Not only was Yan Sui reluctant to shave it off, but even Zhiyuan was wavering. Could such a lively little disciple really stay in the temple to cultivate indefinitely?

Zhiyuan sighed again. His Baode Temple was truly a place where hidden talents resided. Some people read Taoist scriptures here, some held secret meetings here, some built houses here, and some were determined to cast a golden Buddha. Would even more strange people come in the future?
Just as I was thinking this, I heard a voice coming from the mountain gate.

"Master, I'm back."

Zhiyuan's breathing became erratic, and he couldn't help but cough. He recognized the voice all too well; it was Xie Zishao.

"Master." Xie Zishao walked quickly. Since coming to Baode Temple, he felt much better and stronger. If he could make a few more trips every day, he might even be able to take the martial arts exam.

Xie Zishao felt that this was his destiny with Baode Temple.

"It's been a long time, benefactor."

It hadn't been long at all, but Zhiyuan didn't say that, for fear that... someone would seize on his words and keep talking about it endlessly.

Clearly, this still didn't satisfy Xie Zishao. Xie Zishao said, "Why isn't the Master as happy to see me as before?"

Zhiyuan's eyes twitched slightly. So how happy he used to be?

Zhiyuan could only perform a Buddhist salute: "Amitabha, you are joking, benefactor."

“I was just joking with the master,” Xie Zishao said. “I knew the master would be worried about me if he couldn’t see me, so here I am, aren’t I?”

That makes sense.

Zhiyuan didn't want to speak, but Yan Sui had many questions: "I heard that Benefactor Xie is rebuilding the porcelain kiln?"

Xie Zishao responded, pointing to Yan Sui's head: "It's been several days since I last saw you, but you haven't grown at all. Will you stay this tall forever?"

This person is still as annoying as ever.

Seeing Yan Sui puff up his cheeks in anger, Xie Zishao reached out and pinched his cheeks again: "But you have gained some weight."

Before Yan Sui could completely lose his temper, he immediately pulled out a bag of vegetarian snacks and handed it over: "They're fresh out of the oven and still warm."

Once he had food, Yan Sui forgot everything else.

"We are rebuilding the porcelain kiln. After it is completed, we will fire another kiln of Buddhist porcelain for the temple."

The master and disciple each pondered these words.

Yan Sui blinked; that wasn't what he wanted to ask. He'd heard that the Xie family's coal kiln was quite large, and the two Xie family patrons were making such a big splash, so they must be running a major business.

Upon hearing the words "Buddha porcelain," Zhiyuan immediately thought of the Buddhist ceremony. The uninvited guests from the last ceremony were still at the temple, and he didn't want to hold another one so soon. These two siblings were practically treating Baode Temple as their own sacred site.

Xie Zishao continued, "All the money from the sale will be donated to the temple as incense money."

Zhiyuan put his hands together in prayer and said, "Amitabha."

Xie Zishao continued, "I came to the temple this time to help my tenth sister measure the land. Once the weather gets warmer, the land that my tenth sister bought will also come in handy."

Zhiyuan cautiously probed, "Didn't Benefactor Xie intend to clear land and cultivate it?"

“Wouldn’t that be a waste?” Xie Zishao said. “That piece of land can be right next to Baode Temple. Besides, mountain land is easy to cultivate. My tenth sister has other wonderful uses for it.”

Zhiyuan paused, his hand stilling as he twirled his prayer beads. "May I ask, benefactor, what is the purpose of that land?"

Xie Zishao smiled, then lowered his voice and said after a moment, "The Buddha said, it cannot be spoken."

Seeing the abbot's changing gaze, Xie Zishao continued, "In the end, it's a good thing for Baode Temple."

He knows...

Zhiyuan closed his eyes and silently chanted sutras. Xie, the benefactor, did not want the money from selling the Buddhist porcelain, not because she was indifferent to the money, but because she had other ways to earn more.

On the day of the Dharma assembly, Buddha's light appeared, and this light was ultimately lit for her.

With the fame of Baode Temple, she was able to earn more money.

“The land that Tenth Sister bought is too big, and it will be difficult to finish repairing it in a short time,” Xie Zishao said. “Let’s build the wall first.”

At this point, Xie Zishao paused: "Master, do you know what's in front of the wall?"

Zhiyuan knew he shouldn't pay attention to Xie Zishao.

But clearly, he still couldn't hide his curiosity: "What is it?"

Xie Zishao gestured with his hand: "Taoshan, one Taoshan."