Chapter 272 You Need to Think It Through

"Why?"

The Taoist priest pulled out two large walnuts from somewhere and began to ponder them as he played with them.

"Fortune and wealth are sought in danger, and lost in danger as well; one in ten times one seeks them, and nine times out of ten one loses them."

"Wealth is a great blessing. As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune are interdependent. Most people go out to seek wealth, but the fundamental reason for seeking wealth is that people need to live. If you put up a few wealth-attracting talismans, trouble will naturally come."

"Just carry your amulet for protection and safety. Stay alert and be cautious at all times. Never let your guard down when you're out and about. You're still young, and your safe return is the greatest blessing, understand?"

The fourth brother nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, what you say makes sense, Daoist Master. That's the truth. I've learned a lot. Thank you, Daoist Master!"

The Taoist priest looked at the fourth brother and chuckled helplessly.

Song Chunxue and Sanwa were busy in the kitchen.

She had long thought that if the Taoist priest returned, she would cook a feast.

The fish was prepared according to the Taoist priest's method from last time.

She forgot to go to the river to cut some mustard greens these past two days. On her way back, she saw someone cutting them and selling them on the street, so she bought two pounds of them.

In the past, she would have scolded the people who bought the yellow mustard greens, saying they had too much money to burn, since it was just a short walk to the riverbank.

But now she realizes that being able to do things she doesn't have time for by spending money is not necessarily a bad thing.

Indeed, in this world, money is king.

An hour and a half later, a table full of dishes was served.

The fourth brother and the third brother were both stunned.

They sensed the importance the Taoist priest held in their mother's heart.

"Mom, you even made jelly? That's so unfair!"

"And the sweet fermented rice, when did you make it?"

"You also have lamb's quarters? When did you dry these? I've never eaten them before."

"Oh my goodness, this is terrible! You even made buckwheat pancakes with pig's blood!"

Seeing such a sumptuous meal, the fourth brother felt like he had developed contempt for food.

Sanwa laughed nonstop.

“This isn’t favoritism. It’s because the Taoist priest is a great benefactor to our family. He’s a guest, but also family. Besides, I’ve made so many good things. It would be like you’re not eating them. I only made these because I know you’re leaving in a couple of days, so you can have a taste.”

As he spoke, Sanwa slapped him hard on the bottom, "Sit down and eat, stop nagging."

The two of them made Song Chunxue and the Taoist priest laugh heartily.

Two puppies ran around on the ground, sometimes pawing at one person's leg, sometimes rubbing at another's leg.

They nestled quietly to the side without waiting to be fed, waiting for them to finish eating and gnaw on the bones.

The Taoist priest picked up his chopsticks, unsure which to eat first.

"Junior brother, you're too kind. I feel like a lot of thought went into preparing this meal." He felt Song Chunxue's sincerity and was somewhat flattered.

"How about I toast my junior brother first?"

Song Chunxue pointed to the fish, "Senior brother loves to eat fish. Eat something first. Drinking on an empty stomach makes you drunk easily. If everyone gets drunk and acts crazy, no one will clean up the table tonight."

"We've known each other for so long, why are you being so formal, senior brother? Come on, eat something."

The Taoist priest smiled and stopped being polite.

The third child ate slowly and deliberately, while the fourth child wolfed down his food.

He wanted to eat everything on the table.

So he took two bites of fish, but thought it wasn't as good as last time. He then ate some mustard greens and pancakes, as well as his favorite stir-fried pork with vermicelli and eggs. After that, he had half a bowl of sweet fermented rice and a bowl of cold noodles...

After finishing his meal, he couldn't resist drinking two glasses of wine.

My stomach felt hot and cold for a while, and soon I started singing opera.

The air was moving around in his intestines, and soon he felt he couldn't hold it in anymore.

After quietly farting twice, he felt a sharp pain in his intestines and couldn't hold it in any longer, so he stood up and ran to the outhouse.

Sanwa ate the hot dishes first, then barely touched the cold yellow mustard greens.

"What's wrong with him? There's nothing wrong with the food I cooked," Song Chunxue asked curiously. "Is Lao Si's stomach that bad?"

Sanwa explained, "He ate a mix of different foods, sometimes cold and sometimes hot, and in such a short time he ate every dish on the table. No wonder he got diarrhea."

"Never mind him, we'll just have some wine and something hot when we get back." With that, he stood up and said, "I'll go start a fire and make some black tea, otherwise I'll get diarrhea if I eat cold noodles later."

Song Chunxue looked at the cold noodles on the table. "Then don't eat the cold noodles. I'll heat up the sauce later. Do you really have to eat them cold?"

Sanwa laughed, "After eating something hot and oily, I just want something cool."

The Taoist priest was still eating fish. After he finished, Song Chunxue decided to turn over.

"Hey, don't flip through it."

Song Chunxue laughed, "There's a reason for this?"

"There are too many rules, we just want good luck."

Song Chunxue couldn't help but laugh, "I've never seen you eat or drink so much, is that why you look younger than most people?"

The Taoist priest pondered for a moment, then said, "That's possible."

"But the old saying is true: trouble comes from the mouth and illness comes from the mouth. If you eat like this, your health will naturally suffer over the years."

"When hot and cold are mixed, all that will remain in the body are stagnations, with heat in the upper body and cold in the lower body, and the body's meridians will also be blocked."

"Furthermore, Taoism does not recommend overeating; it is sufficient to eat only until you are seven-tenths full. Do you know about fasting?"

Song Chunxue nodded, "I've heard of it, but I don't know why."

"It's because eating too much puts too much strain on the body, and the internal organs need to rest. Now that you've reached the Foundation Establishment stage, you can try using the energy of heaven and earth to expel the ailments from your body. Over time, you'll be immune to all diseases."

Sanwa listened attentively, "So that's how it works."

The fourth son, leaning against the wall, came out of the backyard, exclaiming, "Oh dear, Mother, the food you cooked is poisoned!"

These words caused the three people who had just been discussing to burst into laughter.

"It's clearly you who ate too much, and you're blaming me for the food," Song Chunxue said irritably. "There's still hot water in the pot, go drink some, and then come back and eat something hot."

The fourth brother was a little weak and slumped onto the table with difficulty.

Sanwa got up. "Lazybones, I'll go get him some hot water."

The Taoist priest put down his chopsticks and held out his hand, "Fourth brother, give me your hand."

The fourth brother was completely confused.

"Taoist priest, are you going to tell my fortune?"

The Taoist priest sighed, "I'll massage your acupoints, otherwise you'll have to run to the outhouse again."

The fourth brother obediently handed him his hand, saying, "The Taoist priest knows about this too."

"I know a little about it."

The Taoist priest placed his hand on the area slightly above the base of the thumb and index finger, rubbed it for a while, and then rubbed the center of the back of the hand.

"If you don't get better soon, the Taoist priest will give you two acupuncture needles."

The fourth brother sat up straight with a start. "No, no, I won't eat anything indiscriminately. Let me check the fire in the tea stove."

Seeing how afraid he was of getting needles, Song Chunxue smiled and shook her head. "He seems to be much better. Senior brother, could you teach me this?"

The Taoist priest glanced at her and said, "You'd better think this through. Once you embark on this path, you must persevere to the end. Once you become my true junior brother, you will inevitably have to go up the mountain to pay your respects to our master."

He put down his chopsticks, his tone becoming increasingly serious, and looked calmly at Song Chunxue.

"If you receive the master's true teachings, you will have a mission to fulfill. You cannot simply treat it as a tool for self-cultivation. You will have the responsibility and heavy burden of being a disciple of our sect. You should think this through carefully."