Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

After speaking with Daoist Qingxuzi, he went out and walked towards the entrance of Baima Temple.

He took the internal passage and came out from the main gate of the temple.

He stayed in this small courtyard for four days, and when he had nothing else to do, he also went to visit the White Horse Temple.

It was a bit strange to see a Taoist priest in the Buddhist hall, but the monks in the temple all knew that he was a guest of Abbot Yin Chan and treated him with courtesy. When he looked at the Buddha statues and the bronze bell, some monks acted as his guides.

There is a Buddhist artifact distribution center at Baima Temple, which sells consecrated Buddhist beads, jade pendants, amulets, and the like. When Zhuang Xing went there, he even saw a familiar string of beads.

When his father sent things to the house back then, he sent back a string of beads. He immediately realized that his father had gotten the string of beads from the White Horse Temple.

The White Horse Temple in Yidu is the most popular temple, so Father must want to buy the best Buddhist artifacts to protect his wife and children.

A string of blessed Buddhist beads sells for two hundred coins, but the temple doesn't talk about money, it only talks about fate, so two hundred coins is considered fate.

Zhuang Xing felt that the Buddhist prayer beads were a bit expensive, and for his father, they were even more expensive.

He also saw the sachet his father had sent to his mother, which was being sold for one hundred coins.

As Zhuang walked through the White Horse Temple, it was as if he saw eight years ago a man dressed in coarse cloth, with dark skin, clutching a heavy copper coin in his hand, walking into the temple alone.

He may have lit incense at the incense burner, knelt and prayed devoutly in the main hall, sought blessings from monks in the temple, and murmured prayers such as "May Buddha bless my wife with peace." He then bought expensive Buddhist beads and sachets at the Buddhist implements distribution center.

He carefully washed his hands and sent the items he had chosen back.

He would eat his thin porridge alone in the bustling city of Yidu, and when someone called out to him, he would go and help with the work.

Although Yidu is a large city, there was nowhere for him to stay.

In fact, you can see such people everywhere in Yidu: laborers carrying goods on their shoulders by the boats, and waiters shouting and calling customers to eat.

Who are their fathers? Who are their sons?

Nowadays, two hundred coins or one hundred coins are not a lot of money for Zhuang Xing, but he already knew the value of money.

He walked out of the White Horse Temple and saw the figure waiting for him.

Chu Sheng lived outside the city, but he arrived even earlier than Zhuang Xing.

"When did you arrive?" Zhuang Xing asked from behind Chu Sheng.

Chu Sheng turned around and realized that Zhuang Xing had come out of the White Horse Temple.

"I just arrived a little while ago." Chu Sheng was carrying two pickled fish. "My parents knew you were coming, and they asked me to bring these two fish. I don't know... if you'll like them..."

Zhuang Xing smiled and took the fish: "I was just wondering what to eat tonight. I must try the local specialty of Yidu."

"It's not really a local specialty, just homemade pickled fish."

"Isn't this what local specialties are all about?"

"That makes sense..."

"Let's go, where is that place?"

"Go this way."

Chu Sheng led the way, and Zhuang Xing followed closely behind.

Do you usually buy your groceries and fish in the city?

“Very few. Although there are many kinds of vegetables and meat in the four cities of the east, west, south, and north, they are all more expensive than outside. When you sell things in the city, you have to pay money to the city government. After the city government collects the money from the shops, the shops naturally have to make money back from the customers, which raises the prices.”

"So that's how it is."

"Actually, if you want to buy fish and shrimp, the cheapest and freshest place is at the ferry crossing. Even the fish and shrimp vendors in the city get their supplies from the fishermen at the ferry crossing. But if you don't want to travel any further, it's simpler to buy them in the city."

As Zhuang walked along the road, he chatted with Chu Sheng and learned a lot of useful information and money-saving tips.

Before long, they entered a sparsely populated old alleyway.

"This is it," Chu Sheng said, pointing to the door in front of him.

It truly is an old shop; it doesn't even have a signboard, and from the outside, it just looks like an ordinary residence.

Stepping through the open door, one discovers a hidden world inside: a small courtyard filled with numerous dye vats.

A unique dye scent wafted into my nose, not pungent at all, but rather with a fresh, herbal fragrance.

Chu Sheng led Zhuang Xing into the inner room. Some people took the new clothes and left, while others brought money and children to have new clothes made for the New Year.

The guests were greeted by a middle-aged couple, whose children were also helping out. The younger children were received by the couple, while the older children went to find another elderly woman who was cutting fabric.

It doesn't put up a sign, doesn't go out to solicit customers, and is located in an old alley that's hard to find, yet it's still very lively.

Zhuang Xing could tell at a glance that all the customers at this shop were repeat customers. They didn't rely on new customers to make money at all; they were so busy just fulfilling the orders of their regular customers that they were almost overwhelmed. A shop like this wasn't afraid of being scammed.

He then stepped forward with confidence and said that he wanted to buy a pair of boots that he could walk in the snow.

The couple looked at each other in surprise, probably because it was the first time they had ever seen a Taoist priest come to their home to buy shoes.

However, there's no reason not to welcome guests when they come to the door.

"Our shop only makes cloth boots, not animal hide boots. Would you like to buy some, young master?"

"Won't snow get into your shoes?"

"Young master, you're joking. Our family runs a business for locals. People in Yidu live off the water. Even if you walk in mud and water, your shoes won't get wet, let alone in snow."

How much will it cost?

"Fifty coins."

Can you make it cheaper?

"It's always been this price."

Zhuang Xing thought to himself that the price was really cheap; a pair of waterproof and snowproof boots must be made with plenty of materials.

I estimate that these boots don't make much profit, and boots are more complicated to make than clothes. They probably only make them because their regular customers need them.

"Please make me a pair," Zhuang Xing said, taking money out of his pocket.

"Young man, you can pay when you pick up your shoes."

"No deposit required?"

"No, we don't accept them."

A restaurant recommended by a local is a sure thing.

"When can I pick it up?"

"We have them ready, but... those boots probably won't fit your feet, young master. Please come back to the store the day after tomorrow afternoon to pick them up."

The price is cheap, the quality is good, and the efficiency is high. Zhuangxing really has no faults.

That money is rightfully theirs to earn.

That's what business is all about. Some people don't do business at all; they're just swindling money.

And so, Zhuang Xing placed an order for his new boots.

The shopkeeper gave him a cut strip of cloth, wrote his name on it with black dye, and then took his measurements.

Zhuang Xing held the strip of hemp cloth, thinking that the dye was really good.

After asking around, I learned that these dyes are made from herbs and trees such as madder, smoke tree, and cinnabar. Many shops don't use plant-based dyes like they do; instead, they use mineral dyes to dye clothes. Stone dyes are easier to use, but they don't have the same fragrance as plant-based dyes, and the fabrics dyed this way are not as comfortable to wear.

Their clothes aren't fancy, nor are they made of luxury items like silk, but they're durable, fit well, and are affordable—that's why ordinary people love their shops.

When Zhuang Xingcai came to this store, he felt that he had truly seen the lives of the people of Yidu.

The child being held by the woman was giggling as she measured his clothes, while the old fisherman walked in carrying his old boots, asking the shopkeeper to mend them.

In reality, it's not as dazzling as Taipei. Most people just live their lives simply and plainly.

Chapter 127 The Great Cold (Part 2 Combined)

After ordering the boots at that shop, Chu Sheng led Zhuang Xing out of the city and arrived at a ferry crossing.

At this time, fishermen were still selling their catch at the ferry crossing. They would put the river fish they had caught in their nets into bamboo baskets and sit on the bank.

Some fishermen simply transport the fish they've caught into the city, mostly to supply fish shops there.

The laws of Dayu stipulate that during the three months of spring, axes should not be used in the mountains and forests to allow the vegetation to grow; and during the three months of summer, nets should not be used in the rivers and lakes to allow the fish and turtles to grow.

Fishermen are not allowed to fish in the summer, and there is also a ban in the spring, but it is not as strict as in the summer.

The summer fishing ban is implemented to allow fish and shrimp in the river to reproduce. Many fish spawn and reproduce in the summer. If fishing is carried out frequently in the summer, it will inevitably disrupt the balance, and there will be fewer and fewer fish to catch in the future.

Another prohibition regarding fishing was: "If the fish is less than a foot long, people shall not eat it."

Fish that are too small must be released back into the river, even if they are caught.

Killing a hen and taking out its eggs to eat may bring short-term benefits, but you'll regret killing the hen when you want to eat eggs again.

This is a principle that almost everyone understands, so the fishermen strictly abide by the law.

However, fishing is not allowed throughout the summer, so fishermen will fish even more diligently in the autumn and winter.

Therefore, Chu Sheng told Zhuang Xing that from autumn until the Lunar New Year, there are fishermen selling fish at the ferry crossing almost all day long, and there will be fewer fishermen after the Lunar New Year.

The fishing market here doesn't have a specific time. You can just go up and ask when you see a fishing boat docking, and pick fish directly from the net.

To prevent Zhuang Xing from being ripped off, Chu Sheng also told Zhuang Xing the year-round prices of these fish and shrimp, which were based on the prices he, a local, paid when he bought the fish.

After we finished exploring the ferry crossing, it was getting late.

Although the snow stopped falling at noon, the sky remained overcast. Winter days are naturally short, and seeing the fishermen mooring their boats and packing up to go home, Zhuang Xing knew that his tour of Yidu for the day should come to an end.

Thanks to Chu Sheng, he learned and saw a lot today.

"Thank you so much, Brother Chu," Zhuang Xing said, bowing.

Chu Sheng said, "Compared to the help the Taoist priests gave me back then, this is just a trivial matter."

"This is an extremely precious friendship to me."

"You flatter me, Daoist Master."

"By the way, where does Brother Chu live?"

“It’s over there,” Chu Sheng pointed in a direction. “It’s just a small village outside Yidu City.”

"If I have any questions I'd like to ask you in the future, may I visit your home?"