Chapter 485: Lotus Fairy in Lotus Town
"My hometown was hit by a severe drought, with not a single blade of grass growing. When we fled here, we were stunned by this vast lotus pond."
"Our hometown is always short of water. From birth to death, we only have three baths: once three days after birth, once at marriage, and once when we die."
"When we first saw such a large lotus pond with so much water, we were so moved that we cried and couldn't breathe. We decided to settle down here."
"The local county magistrate was a good official. He knew we were refugees, so he readily registered our household registration and designated this area as our village, which we named Lotus Village."
"We built houses here and settled down. Then more and more people came to settle here. Gradually, the small village became a big village, and from a big village to a small town. Lotus Village also became Lotus Town."
"Because of the Feixue Tower on the mountain, ordinary villains dare not approach. In summer, it is the peak season for viewing lotus flowers, and many people will come here to visit. We can take advantage of this opportunity to make a small profit."
"This mountain is managed by Feixue Tower. The owner of Feixue Tower is kind. In spring, we can go up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots and collect herbs. In autumn, we can go to dig lotus roots."
The shopkeeper smiled innocently: "To be honest, the owner of the lotus pond is very generous. Every autumn, a special person comes to our village. As long as we help clean the pond, he will give us lotus roots for free."
"The lotus roots are white and big, and they always fetch a good price."
"In winter, we all hibernate at the foot of the mountain, and occasionally some people go into the mountains to hunt."
"Although we can't farm here, we live a comfortable life."
Xie Yingmian: "Did you move here twenty years ago?"
The shopkeeper laughed and said, "You are amazing. We did come here twenty years ago."
Xie Yingmian: "Did you encounter anything strange when you were digging lotus roots?"
The shopkeeper scratched his head and thought there was nothing strange.
Then he thought again that some dignitaries seemed to like to listen to stories about fairies and gods.
Maybe I want to hear some stories about the lotus fairy.
The story of the lotus fairy in the lotus pond has been circulating for a long time. Since the noble man wants to hear it, the shopkeeper will tell him everything he knows.
"Do you want to ask about the story of the Lotus Fairy?"
Xie Yingmian and Yu Lingye exchanged a glance: "Lotus Fairy?"
It has something to do with Empress Shuanglian.
Shopkeeper: "Yes, we have hundreds of miles of lotus flowers here. These hundreds of miles of lotus flowers are blooming extremely vigorously. It is the blessing of the Lotus Fairy."
"Walk east from our town for about three or four miles, and you'll find a temple that enshrines the Lotus Fairy."
"People from other places come to our Lotus Town to appreciate the lotus flowers and to worship the Lotus Fairy."
"To be honest, the Lotus Fairy is very effective."
The shopkeeper kept talking about how miraculous the Lotus Fairy was.
Including but not limited to,
Someone paid homage to the Lotus Fairy while swimming in a lotus pond. As a result, he accidentally fell into the water and was about to sink when he suddenly felt a force stopping him from sinking. He got on a boat safely.
Xie Yingmian felt that if one fell into the water in a place covered with lotus flowers, he would at most flutter a few times. The dense lotus leaves and stems were enough to support a person's weight, so there was no chance of sinking.
This rumor is a bit false.
A man got drunk while on a boat trip. When he woke up, he found that the lotus pond had turned into a starry sky. A young woman in lotus pink clothes was dancing in the starry sky. He was invited into the Lotus Palace by the Lotus Fairy, where he listened to countless fairy music and drank heavenly wine. He left the palace at dawn, feeling unsatisfied. When he woke up, he found that he was still on the boat.
Xie Yingmian was speechless.
He was also invited by the Lotus Fairy into the Lotus Palace. Did he think he was Jia Baoyu who had accidentally entered the illusory world of Taixu?
Fake at first glance.
The truth is most likely that he was drunk or ate some brightly colored mushrooms.
Someone prayed to the Lotus Fairy to give her a child, and the next year she really gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.
Xie Yingmian: The Lotus Fairy is quite nosy and bold, she even dares to snatch the job of Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbirth.
To sum up.
Xie Yingmian felt that the story of the Lotus Fairy was false.
The shopkeeper was numb.
He thought that the nobles liked to hear these stories about the appearance of gods and fairies, so he deliberately told them in a mysterious way.
What's the result?
Evaluation given by a noble person: It looks fake at first glance.
Especially the second story, the one about the Lotus Fairy Palace that people nearby talked about with great relish, was commented on by a noble person as being drunk or having eaten too many brightly colored mushrooms.
What a coincidence.
The man did eat a plate of stir-fried mushrooms before boarding the boat.
The plate of mushrooms was freshly picked by the shop owner's granddaughter in the mountains. She originally wanted to keep it for her family, but the young man insisted on buying it and ate it all.
Maybe it was really the mushrooms that did it?
Xie Yingmian: "Is there anything else strange?"
"Don't get hung up on ghosts and gods. I don't believe in them."
The shopkeeper thought for a long time before hesitatingly saying, "There's a restricted area in the lotus pond. There's clearly no one in the restricted area, but occasionally you can hear voices. Is that strange?"
Xie Yingmian's eyes lit up: "Tell me in detail."
The shopkeeper said, "When we dig lotus roots, there is one place we cannot go."
He took out a map and drew a boundary on it.
"This is the range. We absolutely cannot get close to here."
Xie Yingmian looked at Yu Lingye.
Yu Lingye said, "Looking at the location, it's behind Feixue Mountain."
The shopkeeper said: "Yes, it's right behind Feixue Mountain."
"The location of Feixue Mountain is quite special. The back of the mountain is very dangerous. The mountain is very steep, as if it was chopped off by an axe. It goes straight up and down, and there is no way to go."
"There are ferocious wild animals roaming around there. We dare not go near there when we are collecting herbs or something like that."
"Besides the huge lotus pond, there are other bodies of water at the foot of the mountain."
"The waters over there aren't as gentle as here. The water is turbulent and the tide is rising. If you're not careful, you'll be swept into the waves."
"Every year when we dig lotus roots, we are repeatedly warned not to go there. If we go there and accidentally die, they will not bear any responsibility."
"We need to sign an agreement, and the agreement needs to be filed with the government."
The shopkeeper lowered his voice: "However, at the beginning, someone really did touch that side. That person didn't die, but he went crazy."
Xie Yingmian gave the shopkeeper another ounce of silver: "The more detailed, the better."
The shopkeeper smiled so hard that his teeth were showing.
He continued, "The lotus roots we dig sell very well. One jin (jin) of lotus roots can be sold for three wen (cents). A large family can dig about three or four hundred jin (jin) of lotus roots a day, which is equivalent to one or two liang (approximately 100 to 200 jin) of lotus roots."
"One ounce of silver may not be worth mentioning to the rich, but for ordinary farmers, it is a lot of money. Digging for one more day can earn one more ounce of silver. No one would miss such a good opportunity."
"However, there are only a limited number of lotus roots. With so many people sharing them, each household can only sell three or four taels of silver at most."
"One family went to the restricted area at night to dig more lotus roots. No one knew what they saw in the restricted area. When they returned, they fell seriously ill and have been insane ever since."
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