Killing Monks

It doesn't take three days.

Just two days later, the abbot of the small Buddhist temple personally visited and respectfully invited Guangyuan out.

Guangyuan followed him, traversing the winding paths through the mountains, until they arrived at a hillside east of the small Buddhist temple.

The abbot pointed to the land in front of him, a smile plastered on his face: "Junior brother, please look, this is the thirty acres of land. They are all top-quality irrigated fields, right next to the stream, guaranteed to yield a good harvest regardless of drought or flood."

Guangyuan looked around.

There was indeed a shallow stream meandering across the slope, the water was clear, and the land on both sides was flat, clearly good farmland.

The abbot led him down the slope to two adjacent farmhouses.

"These two households are the monastic households for my junior brother," the abbot explained.

"The family on the left consists of a couple with two children and an elderly person, a total of five people."

"The family on the right consists of a couple with two children, and no elderly relatives; they are a total of four people."

No sooner had he finished speaking than two families came out to greet him.

The man in the family of five was a lean, dark-skinned fellow with calloused hands.

Behind him followed a slightly reserved woman, leading two teenagers, and an elderly woman with white hair stood timidly at the door, not daring to go forward.

The man in the family of four was thinner, but his eyes were more lively. He held his wife and two children, and the whole family stood together, their eyes sizing up Guangyuan.

The abbot said to the two families, "From now on, you will be members of Prajna Temple, and this will be your abbot."

The two families were stunned for a moment, then knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Guangyuan quickly stepped forward and helped them up.

He didn't say much, but carefully looked at the two families. They were all pale and thin, and malnourished.

Just then, a voice came from afar.

Guangyuan turned around and saw a small blue sedan chair, surrounded by several attendants, jogging along the ridge of the field.

The sedan chair stopped nearby, and a middle-aged man in a blue robe stepped out from behind the curtain.

This man was in his forties, fair-skinned, with a round face that looked very kind, and his eyes narrowed into slits when he smiled.

He alighted from the sedan chair, exchanged a few pleasantries with the abbot of the small Buddhist temple, then turned to Guangyuan, cupped his hands in greeting, and smiled:

"This must be Master Guangyuan of Prajna Temple. I've heard so much about you. My surname is Niu, and I am the Assistant Magistrate of Qujiang County."

Guangyuan returned the greeting.

Niu County Cheng.

The local wealthy family had reportedly been operating in Qujiang County for generations, owning countless fields and properties. The small Buddhist temple was able to persuade the county government to close down the Prajna Temple, thanks to their connections.

Even though it was he who ordered the closure of Prajna Temple, the county magistrate Niu showed no embarrassment whatsoever.

He held Guangyuan's hand, asking about his well-being with great warmth, as if they were long-lost brothers.

"Master Guangyuan is a promising young man! I heard the abbot speak highly of you, saying that you have profound Buddhist knowledge and superb martial arts skills, and that you will surely become a pillar of Buddhism in Qujiang County in the future!"

He continued, "If you need anything in the future, just come to me! I, surnamed Niu, can still say a few words about things in our county."

As they spoke, the attendants had already set out the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

County Magistrate Niu took the land deed, looked it over carefully, and then picked up a pen and quickly signed his name.

He handed the land deed to Guangyuan and said with a smile, "Master, please keep it safe. From now on, these thirty acres of land will belong to Prajna Temple."

He didn't mention the two households.

Monastic households are the private property of temples, not under the jurisdiction of the government, and do not require the government's signature or seal.

With everything settled, Magistrate Niu was about to take his leave when the abbot of the small Buddhist temple stopped him.

"Lord Niu, please wait." The abbot smiled and waved, and a young novice monk came running over carrying an oil paper package.

The supervisor took the oil paper package and handed it to County Magistrate Niu with both hands.

"This is freshly pressed sesame oil from our temple. It's just a small token of our appreciation. Please take it back and have a taste."

County Magistrate Niu smiled and declined a couple of times, then accepted it and handed it to his attendant to put away.

Guangyuan looked at the oil paper package with some curiosity.

Seeing this, the abbot smiled and explained, "Our temple has over ten acres of land where we grow sesame seeds. Every year we press some oil ourselves and give it to our regular customers to try. If you're interested in the future, junior brother, you can come and take some home."

Guangyuan nodded without saying anything.

County Magistrate Niu boarded the sedan chair and, surrounded by his entourage, gradually drove away. The small blue sedan chair bounced along the ridges of the fields and soon disappeared into the spring mist.

"Now that this matter is settled, this humble monk should return." The abbot turned around and clasped his hands together in prayer towards Guangyuan.

Guangyuan nodded slightly: "Then I won't see you off."

"No need to see me off, no need to see me off." The abbot waved his hand repeatedly, a smile on his face, and led the young novice monk back the way they came.

After walking a few steps, I looked back at the two households again.

Soon, only Guangyuan and those two households remained on the ridge.

The spring breeze blows down the slope, carrying the scent of earth and grass.

The two families stood in front of their respective houses, looking at Guangyuan helplessly, not knowing what to say or do.

Guangyuan looked at them.

"What are your names?"

The lean man from the family of five was the first to react, quickly stepping forward and bowing as he said:

"I would like to inform Your Majesty that my surname is Wu, and I am the third child in my family. Since I was a child, everyone has called me Wu Laosan (Third Brother Wu)."

The man from the family of four stepped forward; he was thinner than Wu Laosan and had more lively eyes.

He cupped his hands in greeting and spoke in a louder voice: "Your Majesty, my surname is Ma, I am the second son in my family, and my full name is Ma Youcai."

Guangyuan nodded and memorized the two names.

Wu Laosan and Ma Youcai will be members of the Prajna Temple from now on.

He paused, then asked, "How much rent did you pay to the small Buddhist temple in previous years?"

Wu Laosan and Ma Youcai exchanged a quick glance.

In that glance, there was hesitation and unease.

Finally, Wu Laosan spoke up, his voice lower: "The abbot of the small Buddhist temple... is quite compassionate, he only wants 50% of the rent."

"Fifty percent?"

Guangyuan frowned slightly.

He did a quick mental calculation.

In this era, without the chemical fertilizers, breeding, and pesticides of later generations, the yield per acre would not have been very high.

He had heard people on the road say that even in the best irrigated fields, with favorable weather, one mu (a Chinese unit of land area, approximately 0.165 acres) would yield only about 1.2 shi (another Chinese unit of land area, approximately 0.165 acres). In a year of average yield, it would only yield about one shi (another Chinese unit of land area, approximately 0.165 acres).

One stone, approximately 120 catties.

This family of five would consume at least ten bushels of grain a year just to make ends meet.

After paying half the rent, the rest was barely enough for the family to survive, and they had to tighten their belts during famine years.

The problem is, there are only 30 mu of land and two households.

How to divide it?

Wu Laosan's family has five members, and Ma Youcai's family has four. Thirty mu of land is not enough no matter how it is divided.

Guangyuan was about to speak when Ma Youcai spoke first.

"Buddha," he said, "our family used to cultivate thirty acres when we lived in the small Buddhist temple."

Guangyuan was taken aback.

Then he understood.