Chapter 342 Going to the Taoist Temple
"Ah?" Qian just found an excuse to come and see Mr. Zhuang. She didn't think Mr. Zhuang would change Manbao's name, but what was the nickname?
Mr. Zhuang smiled and said, "A person not only has a surname and a clan name, but also a given name and a courtesy name. It's just that ordinary people don't pay so much attention to it, so they only have a given name. If Manbao succeeds in her studies, you can give her a courtesy name in the future. That will be my expectation for her as a teacher."
Qian didn't understand the first part of the sentence, but she understood the last part. She vaguely felt that this was a very good thing.
So he quickly thanked Mr. Zhuang, then pushed the basket towards him again, saying with a smile, "These are all eggs laid by our chickens. Mr. Zhuang, steam an egg every day. It's good for your health."
Mr. Zhuang was accustomed to receiving gifts from students, especially agricultural products like this, not to mention that Manbao was his first disciple.
The teacher is like a father. Just as the Zhou family thought it was normal for him to give Man Bao books and writing materials to her, it was also normal for him to accept these things from the Zhou family.
Because of this master-disciple relationship, he will have a say in Manbao's future marriage. Similarly, Manbao will also have a say in his funeral.
Qian naturally picked out the candies from the basket and smiled at Mr. Zhuang, "I heard from Manbao that Mr. Zhuang likes candy. These are some we have at home. They can't compare to what you have here, so consider them as a treat for Mr. Zhuang."
Mr. Zhuang saw that this was the candy that Manbao often gave him as a gift. He smiled and said, "Madam, you are too modest. This candy is sweeter than ordinary candy. I have only tasted it at Manbao's place."
Qian's hand paused for a moment, then she smiled and said, "If Mr. Zhuang likes it, I'll ask Manbao to send some more later."
"She's old, so she can't eat too much sweet food." Mr. Zhuang said with a smile, "Let her eat it slowly."
Qian stayed and talked for a long time before leaving.
She walked slowly towards home. At this time, most of the sun was hidden behind the mountain, but the sky was still bright and the horizon was full of rosy clouds.
The cool breeze of late autumn was blowing, but Qian didn't feel cold. Instead, her hands and feet were still warm. She walked home at the same slow pace as before, but she knew that something was different.
Because she didn't stop at all along the way and didn't feel out of breath.
This would have been impossible before today.
Old Zhou was worried about her and was loitering near the door of his house. When he saw her approaching from a distance, he stopped and waited until she came up before asking, "What did Mr. Zhuang say?"
"Mr. Zhuang said he would give Manbao a name when she's a little older."
"What word?"
Qian knew what he was asking about and said, "It's the character in your name."
"That won't work. Manbao's name is Man. It's... what our whole family gave her. And how come I didn't know that seven years old was a difficult age? The eldest brothers didn't see you doing anything before."
Earlier at the dinner table, he was shocked by his wife's good appetite tonight and didn't think much about it, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
Qian sat down on the threshold, holding onto the doorframe with an unmoved expression. "You forgot, I took Manbao to the Taoist temple to ask about this before. The Taoist priest said it all. Manbao had a difficult time when she was seven. Oh, and I'm thinking Manbao is almost seven now. To help her get through this safely, I'll take her to the Taoist temple tomorrow to pay her respects again."
"She doesn't have school tomorrow?"
"I just asked for leave from Mr. Zhuang," Qian said after a pause. "I had a dream lately. I need to go to the Taoist temple to ask. It would be better if I could take Manbao with me."
Old Zhou perked up and immediately asked, "What dream?"
Qian glanced at him and said, "Sweet dreams."
The dream was so good that Qian didn't take the medicine Zhou Dalang brought back from the old doctor, but saved it for the next time she was sick.
Meeting Old Zhou's questioning gaze, Qian said calmly, "Don't worry, I still want to see Manbao grow up and get married. It's not that I didn't take the medicine on purpose, but I feel much better."
Old Zhou thought of her unusual appetite today and quickly asked in a low voice, "Is it related to your dream?"
Qian nodded slightly.
The next day, Qian took a medium-sized basket, filled it half with rice, which looked to be about three or four pounds, and then selected eighteen eggs and laid them evenly on it.
There were originally quite a few eggs at home, but now only eight or nine were left.
But Qian didn't even blink, she put the basket on the cart, and then pulled Manbao to sit on the cart.
Zhou Sanlang was responsible for pushing the cart.
Zhou Dalang watched as the third son pushed his mother and youngest sister away, frowning in confusion. He quietly asked Qian Shi, "Strange, mother always asked me to push her to the Taoist temple before, why did she specifically mention the third son this time?"
Little Qian said nonchalantly, "Didn't Mother ask you to clean the ditches in Dawan Field? It will be convenient for irrigation and drainage when we plant rice next year."
Can the third brother do that job well too?
Zhou Dalang always felt that something was wrong, as if his mother had deliberately sent him away. Of course, he could only say this to Xiao Qian in secret.
Little Qian glared at him and said, "How foolish! Didn't you see that the third son's wife is so pregnant? Isn't it normal to ask the third son to go to the Taoist temple at this time?"
Zhou Dalang suddenly realized.
Qian, who had gone far away, was full of thoughts and had not thought about this. She just touched Manbao's little head and whispered, "When you go to the Taoist temple later, you must be well behaved and kowtow to the Taoist master Tianzun a few times. Let him bless you with a safe and smooth life."
Manbao nodded excitedly.
She visits the Taoist temple almost every year. In her opinion, the temple is more fun than the county town.
The Taoist temple is on the mountain behind Dali Village. No one knows when the Taoist temple on the mountain was built, but in the hearts of the villagers, it has always been there.
It was tattered, but occasionally a nobleman from the county town would donate a lot of money, and the Taoist temple would be able to replace the old place with a new one. In this way, the new became old, and the old was replaced with the new again, and it was passed down from generation to generation.
There are currently only six Taoists in the Taoist temple. They only have a few thin plots of land at the foot of the mountain, which they cultivate themselves. Occasionally, during the busy farming season, believers from Dali Village will help.
They grow their own vegetables behind the Taoist temple and are basically self-sufficient.
Because apart from the annual temple fair, the people who come here to worship the gods and make wishes are all villagers from nearby.
The villagers don't like to give incense money, they will give a handful of vegetables, a handful of rice, two eggs, half a chicken...
Some who were really poor would take a handful of incense and burn it before going down the mountain. Those who were even poorer would go up with bare hands, lie on the cushion and cry to the Lord Tianzun, kowtow after crying enough and then go down the mountain.
The latter can often get a handful of vegetables, a handful of rice, two eggs or a chicken from the Taoist priests...
So the Taoists in the mountains are not rich.
Qian was a frequent visitor to the Taoist temple. The Taoist priest on duty in front recognized her as soon as he saw her and smiled subconsciously. When he saw the basket full of eggs she was carrying, his smile became even bigger.
When Manbao looked up, she could only see his bright smile with wrinkles. She immediately laughed and then grinned at him with a bright smile.
(End of this chapter)
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