Chapter 1338 Friends
Why do people rush to go up the mountain to worship before the busy farming season, during festivals, and during the slack farming season?
Because not only the villagers have to farm, but the Taoists also have to farm, and both sides have no time.
In the past, the villagers in the nearby villages were all poor, so when they came to the mountain to worship, they rarely brought anything with them, at most a few handfuls of vegetables.
But the abbots of Shouqing Temple grow their own vegetables, so they don’t care about the vegetables sent by the villagers. However, this is also their respect for Laojun, so everyone still accepts them. If they can’t finish them, they will dry them and make dried vegetables.
At that time, Dao and Daoxu were even poorer than Manbao, because Manbao still had the New Year's money saved and could eat a piece of candy from time to time, but the two of them could only barely fill their stomachs.
However, ever since the news spread that Manbao was the reincarnation of a fairy, everyone felt that Laojun recognized this Taoist temple. Even if it was just to occasionally protect the reincarnated fairy, Laojun would come back from time to time to take a look, right?
First, the villagers nearby liked to come to worship, then people from the town and county would come to join in the fun, and now, even people from neighboring counties come from far away to worship.
The Taoist temple was very popular, and the abbot of Shouqing Temple received a lot of donations. He simply renovated the backyard and made room for two guest houses. Even lay Buddhists who came from far away could stay in the Taoist temple temporarily.
As a result, Dali Village became much more lively.
Originally, Dali Village at the foot of the mountain was only populated during the market day, but now it is not necessarily the case. When there are many people coming from outside, the nearby villagers will temporarily set out some eggs, vegetables and the like to sell.
Sometimes the guests who come here cannot return within a day and cannot stay in the Taoist temple, so they will stay in Dali Village, and both food and accommodation require payment.
Dao and Daoxu always received some tips when they served tea and water to guests or introduced them to places to stay. This was how they saved their money, but the way they handled the money was completely opposite.
Daoxu spent most of his money on food and clothes, while Daohe saved it to buy books, pens, ink and paper.
At present, Daohe’s ideal is to complete his studies and then, like his master and uncles, interpret divinations and preach scriptures to people to help them resolve their worries. The incense money he can get from this is much more than the reward money.
Daoxu, however, felt that the lay Buddhists who came to worship really liked to listen to mythological stories like the one about Manbao. Sometimes, if he told a good story, they would give him money in strings.
He felt that the scriptures his master asked him to memorize were too difficult, the fortune sticks were hard to interpret, and he had to do a lot of calculations. After all, he felt that telling stories was the easiest way to make money.
But if he were to believe that Manbao was the reincarnation of a fairy...
He lowered his head to look at Manbao, who happened to look up at him as well. They both shuddered and refused, "Forget it. I'm afraid Master Tianzun will come to me in my dreams tonight."
Dao He laughed, shook his head, and said to Man Bao, "So, have you really treated the nobles in the palace?"
Manbao nodded and said, "I am treating the Queen and the Crown Prince, but the affairs of the nobles cannot be told to others. So you'd better not think about making money from this."
Dao He was surprised, "Have your medical skills reached this level?"
Manbao became proud. "It's not bad. There are still many who are not as good as the old doctors in the capital and the imperial doctors in the palace, but in some aspects they are not bad either. I can even take apprentices now."
Daohe pondered and said, "I originally wanted to ask you for advice on medicine."
He said, "Recently, my master has been teaching me how to distinguish the Yin and Yang of herbs, and the monarch and minister. He also gave me a few prescriptions. I will be treating believers who come here to ask for medicine. I wonder if you can give me some advice to see if I have violated any taboos."
Generally, people who study Taoism know some medical skills, not for the purpose of becoming doctors, but because Taoism follows nature. They pursue the essence of things by studying the body.
Of course, the abbot of Shouqing Temple and his companions are not thinking about these things at the moment. What they think is that learning some prescriptions can also save people. In the past, when the Taoist temple was not very popular, it relied on collecting some medicinal herbs and giving them to the believers who came to ask for medicine to maintain its existence.
Manbao had taken the medicine sent by the abbot of Shouqing Temple when she was a child, and her mother had taken it too. Of course, she knew this. She smiled and said, "What taboo is this?"
She thought for a moment and said, "If you want to learn, I'll give you a medical book I'm compiling. It contains many pulse diagnosis and medication prescriptions. If you don't understand something, you can write to me."
Man Bao said, "Mr. Bai sends gifts to the capital every three months. Besides that, we also exchange letters occasionally. You can have someone send your letter to my house and have my family give it to Mr. Bai. They will smuggle it in when they send gifts to the capital."
Daohe smiled, his eyes sparkling as he said, "Thank you very much."
Manbao also smiled with his eyebrows curved, "You're welcome."
Bai Shan asked her, "You gave him the booklet, so what will you give to Dr. Liu and the others when you return to Beijing?"
Manbao said, "I don't plan to give him the original book. You've been free lately, so why don't you help me copy a copy while I'm compiling it?"
Daohe looked at Baishan and smiled at him when he heard the words.
Bai Shan looked helpless and said, "Okay."
Daohe smiled brightly and raised his glass to toast the two of them.
Bai Shan and Man Bao raised their teacups and returned the greeting, then frowned again after taking a sip of tea.
Daohe smiled and said, "I really think this tea is good, but maybe this pot wasn't brewed well enough. I have another pot brewed by Master Shoushi. I've packed three packets of it. You can take them back and try them later. If you like it, come back before you go to Beijing and I'll pack you another packet."
Bai Shan and his friends didn't like drinking tea very much, but the master liked it very much, so they didn't refuse his tea.
Daohe gave them three bags of tea and three talismans. "This is a talisman. It should be placed under Laojun's seat for 81 days. It is the best talisman in our temple. Take it. I wish you a safe journey on your next journey."
Manbao and the other two took it and said to him, "If you want to travel in the future, please let us know."
Daohe smiled and said, "I'm still young, Master won't let me out for the time being."
Daoxu on the side said: "That's not necessarily true. This year we not only accepted two junior brothers, but also a junior sister. In two years, when they grow up, we may be able to go out."
The three of them were surprised, "You have junior brothers and sisters now?"
"That's right," Daoxu said proudly, "Come on, I'll take you to see them."
The three of them followed him to the courtyard further back. He pushed open a door and saw Taoist Master Shoushi, who was inside with his three children. Upon seeing them come in, he immediately waved and said, "You've come just in time. Hurry up! Your little sister has pooped again. Come and change her diaper."
Bai Shan looked up and saw a swaddled child on the couch against the wall, and Shou Shi had another child, one over one year old and another over three years old, beside him.
Three people: ...Isn’t this too small?
Daoxu frowned in disgust as he went up to change his junior sister's diaper. Manbao and the other two greeted Shoushi, and seeing that he was feeding the two children, they sat aside and waited obediently.
Taoist Master Shoushi was also familiar with them. He asked with a smile why they were here, while explaining the origins of the three children, "We found them all at the gate of the Taoist temple."
See you at 9pm
(End of this chapter)
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