Chapter 10

As the saying goes, when one is in a hurry, they will seek any doctor. Originally, he had already given up hope, but a word from Ye Tian caused a ripple. After searching for Ye Tian in vain, Liao Haode hurriedly took his nephew and grandson back to the village to find people to discuss the matter.

While the instigator, Ye Tian, leisurely played outside for a while, he only headed towards Lao Miao's house when he saw the sky gradually darkening. Hearing the roar of the engine from behind the house, Ye Tian did not enter the yard but turned a corner and went to the pond at the back.

In the south of Jiang, there are many rivers. Lao Miao had people dig a channel from the fish pond to divert the water to a nearby river. At this moment, apart from over twenty young men shoveling soil into the pond, several tractors were making "tu tu" sounds, transporting the soil back and forth.

Seeing Lao Miao busily directing the work, Ye Tian smiled and said, "Hey, Brother Miao, you're really quick, aren't you?"

The two large ponds, which had been filled almost completely in just a short afternoon, showed that as long as there was money, things could always be done, regardless of the era.

"It's you, Little True Person. Do you think the pond is filled properly?"

Seeing Ye Tian walk over, Lao Miao hurriedly asked. However, it looked somewhat ridiculous for him, a grown man, to seek advice from a child holding a sugar figure.

"Who is this little guy, Brother Miao? Is there a young Taoist on the mountain?"

A helper who was drinking water nearby asked. Although they were all from the same village, since Lao Miao became wealthy, he had never spoken so respectfully to anyone.

"Uh, this... this is... I mean, why do you need to know so much? As long as you have wine to drink tonight..."

Lao Miao didn't know how to explain. If he told the truth, the police would probably come looking for him tomorrow. Wasn't this clearly promoting feudal superstition?

Rich people have a strong backbone. The man, hearing Lao Miao's words, didn't get angry and sullenly took a shovel to continue working. Lao Miao, however, looked at Ye Tian again, as this matter concerned his life and property.

"Sure, as long as it's filled, it's fine..."

Ye Tian nodded, but it was somewhat perfunctory. It wasn't that he didn't want to help Lao Miao further, but the turtle shell no longer responded to his commands, and all the characters on it had turned gray.

Hearing Ye Tian's words, Lao Miao loudly shouted, "Everyone, put in a bit more effort. Once this last bit is done, we'll all go to my house for a meal..."

In the mid-1980s, let alone in the countryside, even in the city, it was hard to find a few formal construction companies. Generally, for any heavy work, people would ask relatives, friends, and neighbors to help. For tasks like filling a fish pond, no one would talk about wages; they would just have a drink after the work was done.

"Hey, Brother Miao, do you have wine?"

"Look at what you're saying. If Lao Miao invites you, will there be no wine or meat?"

"Erwa, if you drink too much, be careful your wife won't let you into bed. Or... shall I sleep at your place tonight?"

"Get lost, I'll break your dog legs..."

"Alright, everyone, work faster. Once this is done, we'll go drink and eat..."

As soon as Lao Miao finished speaking, everyone laughed and started joking with each other. They were all from the same village, and hearing Lao Miao's words, they started joking around.

In Lao Miao's spacious courtyard, electric lights had already been set up, and several large round tables were filled with wine and dishes. After the work was done, over twenty strong men started drinking and shouting.

Even Ye Tian was offered half a cup of wine by Lao Miao, but after drinking it, Ye Tian felt a bit dizzy.

...

The next morning, a few carpenters and house builders arrived early at Lao Miao's door. After Ye Tian and the old Taoist got up, they sat on a tractor and headed towards Maoshan.

Although they passed by his own house, Ye Tian didn't dare to go back, not knowing if his father had cooled down. Peeping at a woman bathing was considered pure hooliganism in the countryside, and even a child would get a good beating.

"Old Immortal, your body is really good..."

After about half an hour, the group climbed to the Taoist temple. The young and strong men were all out of breath, but Ye Tian and the old Taoist, the old and young pair, didn't seem to have broken a sweat.

"Ha ha, if Brother Miao could give up his business and stay here for a while, your body would also get better..."

The old Taoist laughed but didn't say more. If these people knew he was over 100 years old, they might be shocked.

"Ha ha, I'm a hardworking man, not like an old immortal..."

Lao Miao indeed felt a bit envious. Although the mountain where the old Taoist lived wasn't famous, the scenery was excellent.

In front of the temple was a bamboo forest, and below was a small waterfall. Especially in summer, the mist from the waterfall made it look like a fairyland, refreshing everyone's spirits.

After a short rest in front of the temple, the craftsmen started working, carefully inspecting the temple from front to back.

After about half an hour, a man who seemed to be the leader of the craftsmen walked over, took out a pack of wrinkled cigarettes, carefully took one out, and handed it to Lao Miao, saying, "Mr. Miao, the temple is severely damaged, and the main hall has been struck by lightning. The main beam needs to be replaced, which is a big project..."

Generally, only when building a new house would a main beam be installed. If the temple needed a new main beam, it would be like rebuilding it, and the cost would be different from just repairs.

"Old Wu, give me a price..."

In Lao Miao's mind, only a high-minded person would live in such a place. Plus, after yesterday's events, he already considered the old Taoist a living immortal. He was willing to spend any amount of money.

Old Wu held up three fingers and said, "At least... three thousand yuan!"

The temple had one main hall and two side rooms, each with a large area. Building it would be as difficult as building a large tile-roofed house in the valley. Three thousand yuan was a reasonable price.

"Alright, three thousand it is. Everyone, work hard and finish it as soon as possible..."

In the 1980s, three thousand yuan could buy a house with a hundred square meters in the city. Even for a ten-thousand-yuan household like Lao Miao, he weighed it in his mind for a long time before finally agreeing.

After the price was set, the craftsmen started working. Ye Tian, on the other hand, took Lao Miao down the mountain. With over ten workers, someone had to cook for them. As the saying goes, "Don't let the benefits flow to outsiders," so Ye Tian had to go down the mountain.

...

"Hey, brat, come over and let me beat you, and we'll be fine..."

Li Erlengzi just walked out of his house and ran into Ye Tian. He was so angry that he couldn't control himself. He was called Erlengzi not because he couldn't distinguish between grains, but because he was stubborn and quick-tempered, always wanting to argue with anyone, whether an adult or a child.

"Uncle Er, why would you beat me? My master is renovating the temple on the mountain and needs someone to cook. Can Aunt Er help? She'll earn two yuan a day. If she doesn't, I'll find someone else..."

Ye Tian was clear in his mind. He went straight to Li Erlengzi's house when he arrived in the village. As long as Li Erlengzi didn't shout, his father might not beat him for peeping at his wife bathing.

Li Erlengzi was only stubborn, not stupid. The village women had nothing to do all day, and a job that paid two yuan a day was too good to pass up. Seeing Ye Tian about to leave, he quickly pulled him back, saying, "Hey, don't go, Little Ye, who said Aunt Er won't go?"

"Alright, Uncle Er, you talk to Brother Miao. I'll go home first..."

Ye Tian had already told Lao Miao when he went down the mountain that he wasn't a fully ordained Taoist and lived in the village.

So Lao Miao wasn't surprised and started negotiating with Li Erlengzi. Just his wife wouldn't be enough; they also needed to mobilize some men to carry rice, flour, meat, and vegetables up the mountain.

...

"Dad, are you cooling off?"

Pushing open the gate of his house, Ye Tian first poked his head in. Unexpectedly, he met his father's eyes, so he reluctantly walked into the yard.

"Brat, are you off to see your master again?"

Seeing Ye Tian's odd attire, Ye Dongping was both amused and exasperated. He had beaten the child many times, but it never seemed to work; the more he beat him, the more resilient he became.

"Yes, I went down the mountain with my master to find people to repair the temple..."

Seeing his father wasn't angry, Ye Tian's courage grew. He proudly took out the "worker, farmer, soldier" note, which was already soaked with sweat, and said, "Dad, my master helped someone with feng shui yesterday. This is the money they gave me. You keep it..."

Ye Tian knew his father agreed to him learning ancient literature and martial arts from his master but didn't want him to learn fortune-telling and physiognomy. So he didn't dare say the money was earned by him.

"You, take the money if someone gives it to you. Just don't spend it recklessly..."

Seeing his son's understanding, Ye Dongping felt a lump in his throat. Compared to other children, Ye Tian was the poorest in material terms, but he had never asked for a penny or complained. They had relied on each other for over ten years.

"Once Little Tian finishes primary school, we'll go back. Only in Beijing can he receive a better education..."

Looking at his son, Ye Dongping made a decision. His generation had been delayed, but he would work hard in Beijing, even pulling a cart, to ensure his child wasn't delayed.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Seeing his father's expression, Ye Tian asked with concern.

"Nothing..." Hearing his son's words, Ye Dongping snapped back to reality.

"By the way, I can help Dad read his face. He never tells me about the past..."

A thought suddenly popped into Ye Tian's mind and couldn't be suppressed. There was always a mystery in his heart: he had never seen his mother.

Although he had heard from the villagers that his mother was very beautiful, Ye Tian had never heard his father talk about her. As he grew older, this became a source of pain for him.