"Everyone, cheer up and walk another two miles. Can you see the roof hidden under the trees? We will rest there today." The village chief came to cheer everyone up again.
"Village Chief, are you sure? Is there a village ahead?"
"Village chief, then we don't have to stay in the wild today. There are snakes in the wild, and it's still very dangerous."
"Village Chief, do you think anyone still lives there?"
"Village Chief, you won't lie to us, will you?"
Everyone started asking questions one after another, fearing that the village chief was telling them a beautiful lie in order to speed up the process.
"You all don't know what kind of person I am. When have I ever lied to you? Of course, it's no wonder that no one can see it. We'll be able to see it after we turn the corner in front. Now there are mountains blocking our view, so we can't see it. This was discovered by hunter Zhang when he went to the front to check the terrain. And it's not far from us. Let's speed up, and we can have a good rest when we get there." The village chief explained to everyone.
"So that's how it is, Village Chief."
"I'm sorry, village chief, I wronged you."
"Okay, village chief, we are ready to speed up."
The villagers chatted excitedly as they hurried forward. Sure enough, as they turned the corner ahead, they could see the roofs of houses beneath the trees. It was a bit far away, so they couldn't tell the size of the village. But the villagers were happy. Finally, they didn't have to sleep outdoors.
With hope, everyone held their breath and persevered until they reached a place with houses. It turned out to be a land temple, not a village. A quick look revealed that the land temple was quite large, more than enough for the villagers of Yunjia Village to live in.
Looking closely, the courtyard wall of the land temple is made of stone, and the two wooden doors must be quite old. There is a dent at the two door knockers, and a large gap is left in the middle of the door panel. The top and bottom of the door panel are rotten, becoming bumpy and looking quite dilapidated.
After the village chief opened the gate, I saw a row of houses across from me. A large hall was flanked by three rooms on each side. Entering the hall, I looked up and saw the Earth God and Earth Goddess enshrined in the center. They both looked kind and benevolent. In front of the statues was a table with a tilted incense burner on it, its contents spilling onto the table.
There was a worn-out cushion under the table. Looking around, there were quite a few cushions scattered throughout the hall. The floor of the hall was paved with neatly arranged bluestone slabs. Now, the ground was covered in mud, showing that no one had been here for a long time.
The adjacent rooms contained only a few rickety tables and a few worn-out chairs. The floor was covered in mud. Fortunately, the roof was tiled and looked quite new, likely having been recently replaced.
The village chief made arrangements for the villagers to rest in the land temple tonight.
Speaking of land temples, they are the most widespread among the people. They can be found in all towns and cities. They range in size, but all of them enshrine the God of Land. Some worship only the God of Land, while others worship both the God of Land and the Goddess of Land. The God of Land worshipped in land temples has a different origin.
The story dates back to the Zhou Dynasty. There was a man named Zhang Fude, born during the reign of King Wu of Zhou. At 36, he became the imperial tax collector, known for his integrity, diligence, and love for the people. He lived to be 102, and his body remained radiant for several days. A local resident enshrined Zhang Fude's portrait, and within a year, their impoverished family became wealthy. Locals flocked to him and even formed a joint venture to build a temple, declaring him the God of Land.
The God of Land oversees the land. While he holds a low position among the gods, he is incredibly important to the people. Celebrations of births and deaths are often reported to the God of Land Temple. Villagers also frequently hold ceremonies to express their reverence and gratitude for the deity, praying for good weather and peace.
The popularity of land temples began during the Ming Dynasty. This story begins with the story of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. Born into a humble family, Zhu Yuanzhang's family was so poor they barely had enough to eat. His real name was Zhu Chongba, and his older brothers starved to death. Zhu Yuanzhang was born in a land temple. His childhood experiences instilled in him a deep gratitude for the temple, believing that the God of Land's rule would bring peace to the Ming Dynasty.
Later, when he became emperor, he promoted the construction of land temples. Therefore, starting from the Ming Dynasty, the number of land temples increased significantly, and there was one in every village. The God of Land also became the most popular deity among the people.
Yun Yiyi and her family chose the room at the very edge. It wasn't large, only about 10 square meters, and it was bare, with a dirt floor. The dirt had been trampled hard, so they just had to sweep the cobwebs from the corners and the floor to make it habitable. There was a small wooden window on the back wall, only the frame remained, no window paper. In this weather, sleeping at night was neither too hot nor too cold, so leaving the window open was no problem.
Butcher Yun walked around outside for a bit, then took the three Yun brothers to collect rocks behind the land temple. They returned to build a stove. Zhang took out the food and seasonings for the evening and placed them in a corner. Meanwhile, Butcher Yun and his men moved a few large rocks to build a simple stove. They hurried to collect firewood. Zhang set up the iron pot, half-filled it with water, and after bringing in the firewood, Yun Yiyi helped to light the fire.
"Mom, what are we eating tonight?"
"Let's cut some pickles, stir some dough balls, add two eggs to make soup, and then break the pot cakes into small pieces and put them in to cook together." "By the way, let's ask your father to peel the snake skin and wash it, and then we'll put half of the snake meat in to cook. The other half of the snake meat will be fried for you to eat tomorrow morning." Zhang said as she stirred the dough balls.
"Okay, Mom, it sounds delicious. It tastes even better with snake meat. I have forgotten the taste of meat. Also, Mom, the pot cake is fragrant, but it is too hard on the teeth. My cheek hurts every time I bite it." Yun Yiyi said, covering her cheek.
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