The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 830 - 808: Taoist Temple

Chapter 830: Chapter 808: Taoist Temple

Bai Shan dragged Manbao to draw lots, each with a fortune stick container, clunking away, and before long, a stick was drawn.

Manbao glanced at it and handed it to Shoucai, "Still a top lot."

Bai Shan’s was too.

County Magistrate Tang looked at it, felt curious, and also shook a stick from the container, finding it was a top lot as well.

He then looked at the container, really wanting to take out all the lots and have a look.

Shoucai had already collected the container with a beaming smile and said to the three people, "Senior Brother is in the back courtyard’s quiet room. Shall you go find him to interpret the lots?"

County Magistrate Tang carried his lot and went with Manbao and the others to the quiet room. On the way, he couldn’t help asking, "Are there more top lots in that container?"

Manbao nodded, "Yes, Daoxu said that only a few middle and bottom lots were placed inside. Practically no one can draw a bottom lot."

"Why is that?"

Manbao replied, "Taoist Shouqing said that the seven emotions harm one’s will. Believers come to the temple to pray, mostly because they have encountered difficulties. With people being troubled, their hearts and livers get hurt, as does their vital energy. At such times, saying pleasant words to alleviate their sorrows with joy is always good."

Manbao paused and then added, "I think Taoist Shouqing is right. The ’Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor’ also records the interplay of emotions and their effects. Although I have never used it, I’ve seen in medical texts that many well-known doctors love to use such methods."

County Magistrate Tang looked at the lot in his hand and asked, "Then why do you still go to have the lots interpreted?"

If you already know the reason, what’s the point of having them interpreted?

Bai Shan replied, "Though we know the reason, drawing a top lot still makes us happy. And each top lot has different text, yours might have some special meaning inside."

County Magistrate Tang just shook his head and chuckled, "I get it now; you both do not believe and yet you do. You only want to believe in the good side, and when faced with the bad, you start to think it’s not good to believe in gods and spirits."

Bai Shan naturally said, "We are mortals, after all."

Manbao stared at County Magistrate Tang, "Lord Tang, are you happy in your heart now that you’re holding a top lot?"

County Magistrate Tang: "...happy."

Bai Shan couldn’t help but purse his lips and smile.

They went to find Taoist Shouqing to interpret their lots. Looking at Manbao and Bai Shan’s faces, Taoist Shouqing lavishly praised them, telling them to relax, that their path ahead was clear and bright, and then he took their lots and turned to County Magistrate Tang.

Clearly, Old Madam Liu and Ms. Qian had spoken to Taoist Shouqing earlier, and so he put on a very congenial front with County Magistrate Tang, feigning courtesy, and then lightly discussed philosophy.

Manbao and Bai Shan sat on the side, watching their polite philosophical discussion, feeling that it was nowhere near as interesting as listening to their teacher and Taoist Shouqing.

After talking for a while, Taoist Shouqing felt enough time had passed and offered tea to see off the guests.

Since Lord Tang was not well-acquainted with him, he couldn’t engage in deep conversation, so he politely stood up to leave.

Several food stalls had already been set up on the lawn in front of the Taoist temple. It was a mystery how they were carried up here, but now they were sizzling invitingly.

The hungry County Magistrate Tang couldn’t help but join Manbao and Bai Shan in swallowing hard.

Bai Erlang was squatting by a stone, playing with his friends. He looked up, saw the two of them, and ran over, complaining, "Where have you two been all day? My dad said you were just up the mountain. I’ve turned the whole temple upside down looking for you."

Manbao replied, "That’s really unfortunate, we just missed each other."

Manbao swallowed and, pointing at the food on the stalls, asked, "Have you eaten?"

"Eaten already."

Bai Shan asked, "Which stall has the tastiest food?"

"The wonton stall is the best, their nang bread is the worst, the rest are just so-so."

The trio turned around and took seats at the wonton stall, Manbao raised her voice, "We’ll have five bowls of wontons."

County Magistrate Tang looked at the portion sizes and asked, "Can you finish all that?"

"There’s also Daji and your family’s Mingli," Manbao said, giving him a puzzled look. "Isn’t one bowl per person reasonable?"

County Magistrate Tang just nodded.

"Wow, County Magistrate Tang, what brings you here?" Bai Erlang exclaimed suddenly from the side.

County Magistrate Tang: ...

He paused for quite a while before looking towards Manbao and Bai Shan and asking, "Is he always this slow to react?"

Bai Shan replied, "Pretty much, you get used to it."

Bai Er protested, "You’re talking about me behind my back right to my face, isn’t that going too far?"

"Not at all, it’s not bad-mouthing, it’s the truth," said Manbao. "You only just noticed such a big living person standing right beside us."

Bai Er no longer wanted to deal with them and stood up to leave, but on second thought, he sat back down and asked, "Where did you all run off to early this morning? Why didn’t you call me?"

Manbao and Bai Shan exchanged glances and decided not to tell him. So they said, "We just wandered around at the end of the village. You came out too quickly. We came by carriage. What’s the point of coming so early when it’s not even lively yet?"

"Who comes to a temple fair by carriage? Don’t we always walk here every year?"

A young friend ran over to find Bai Er, "Bai Er, are you going to look for rhizomys or not? It’s almost dark, oh, Miss Manbao, you’re here too, Bai Shan, are you two going?"

Manbao and Bai Shan shook their heads together, looking to Bai Er, "It’s getting dark."

"So what if it’s dark, we’re planning to head back after 7p.m.-9p.m."

Bai Shan advised, "Then don’t go too far. If you run off into the mountains without any lights, we won’t go in to find you if we can’t locate you."

"Don’t worry, we go there to catch rhizomys every year, and we’ll come back as soon as the sun sets," he said, pulling Bai Er along as they ran off.

County Magistrate Tang really had a taste of their local temple fair following these two. After they finished the wontons, they tried some other snacks. At the hour of the rooster, the temple’s bell rang out, Taoist Shouqing came out, found a spot on the ground, and began to teach.

He spoke very plainly, simply teaching everyone how to be open-minded and how to live a long and healthy life.

County Magistrate Tang listened for a while but found it quite dull, so his attention drifted to observing the congregation who were listening intently, muttering under their breath as if they were trying to memorize everything.

County Magistrate Tang stroked his chin and asked, "Does your place always have preaching during the annual temple fair?"

Manbao nodded, "Mostly about the teachings of health and life, and how to conduct oneself in society. Taoist Shouqing says that if he talked about anything else, people wouldn’t understand or have a use for it."

County Magistrate Tang asked with a smile, "Has Zhangbo heard this before?"

"Yes, County Magistrate Yang even praised Taoist Shouqing for speaking well and even wrote a commendatory article for the temple," Manbao said. "County Magistrate Yang said it was enlightening the people. Apart from the teachings on health which can prolong life, the teachings on interpersonal conduct are meritorious. Hence, County Magistrate Yang even allocated the land at the foot of the mountain to the temple as a reward."

County Magistrate Tang, still stroking his chin, said, "He holds such esteem?"

Bai Shan then said, "That was just a wasteland, County Magistrate Yang simply had people clear it. Daoxu also told me, nothing but beans can be grown on that dry land, and it’s not even as fertile as the areas they’ve cleared up in the mountains."

County Magistrate Tang couldn’t help but burst out laughing, "I knew it, he’s always been stingy."

Manbao defended County Magistrate Yang, "He’s still a lot more generous than you are."

County Magistrate Tang ignored her.