Chapter 37

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A new chapter begins, with exciting developments ahead. I seek your recommendations, votes for the Three Rivers, and your full support!

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One hundred and five days after the Winter Solstice is known as the Cold Food Festival, also called the Cold Smoke Festival. []

Fire is essential to human life, yet it often brings great harm. The ancients believed in the existence of a fire god. On the day of the Cold Food Festival, they would extinguish all the fires in their homes, giving the fire god a break. The next day, they would ignite new fires, a process known as "rekindling," and hold a series of sacrificial activities.

This is clearly an Eastern ritual, and it should have nothing to do with monks. However, this religion, which was nearly extinct in its homeland, managed to flourish in the Central Plains and became the largest religion in the world, naturally mastering the art of adapting to local customs. So, on this day, starting from the morning, the novice monks from the temple would carry a large butter lamp basin, walking through the streets and alleys, delivering the new fire to every household.

Of course, when the residents respectfully receive the new fire, they would also give a generous gift, not only as a thank you to the monks for delivering the new fire but also as a reward for their punctual weather forecasts, rain or shine.

The monks, of course, maintain a solemn appearance, and whether the gift is large or small, they would not say anything on the spot. However, if the gift does not meet their expectations, the next day when they report the time in this area, they might suddenly have an itchy throat, speaking indistinctly, making it hard for people to understand. When they move to the next area, they would naturally recover, using their loud Buddhist voice to awaken the neighborhood.

Amazingly, the novice monks, who should be devoted to Buddhism and detached from worldly affairs, have a thorough understanding of the wealth distribution in the county, especially which households would give a thick red envelope. They are truly wise and perceptive, with boundless Buddhist law!

From the main street all the way to Wenxing Street, the first house on Wenxing Street has a high white wall and black tiles, with a black door. On the stone door piers on both sides, there are carvings of book boxes... A household's gate can reveal the cultural taste and lifestyle of its owner. Officials would build steps at the entrance to show their high status; merchants would set a high threshold to prevent wealth from flowing out; and those who carve book boxes on the stone door piers indicate that they are a scholarly family.

But this household has no steps, indicating that no one in the family holds an official position.

Seeing such a household, the novice monks would usually frown and be reluctant to approach... Scholars are often poor and stingy, and they would talk in a condescending manner, making the monks uncomfortable.

However, the excitement on the monks' faces showed that this household was an exception.

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In front of the gate of this household, a plump woman in her forties, wearing a blue robe, was inserting a swallow-shaped cake made of jujubes, strung on a willow branch, into the lintel.

A boy of about seven or eight, with a rosy face and two "pigeon tails" on his head, was looking up with his bright, lively eyes, watching the woman's actions. He was wearing a white silk robe with embroidered patterns inside, a sleeveless blue silk vest with a long back skirt, and blue silk trousers tucked into soft-soled silk shoes. He looked like a child from the side of Guanyin, and the woman seemed to be his servant.

"Madam, what is this thing called?" the little boy asked in a clear voice.

"Sixth Brother, this is called 'One-Legged Swallow.'"

"One-Legged Swallow, what does that mean?" the little boy asked with wide eyes.

"Instead of asking the scholars in the family, you are making it difficult for this illiterate old woman," the woman laughed kindly. "But I do know. It is said that there was once a minister named 'One-Legged' who, when the emperor was in trouble, cut off his own flesh to feed him. When the emperor ascended the throne, he bestowed titles on all the meritorious officials but forgot about One-Legged. One-Legged, in a fit of anger, took his old mother and hid in the mountains. Later, the emperor remembered One-Legged and set the mountains on fire to force him out, but he ended up burning One-Legged and his mother to death." She sighed. "What a tragedy. The emperor, feeling guilty, would make a small swallow and insert it into the door lintel every year on One-Legged's birthday..."

"Why insert it into the door lintel?" the little boy asked.

"Perhaps to ward off evil," the woman said seriously. "Think about it, not only did he not reward the person, but he also burned the person and his mother to ashes. How much hatred must One-Legged have had? He would surely come back on the day he could return."

"Hey, Aunt Zhang, don't talk nonsense and mislead the young layman," the novice monks finally couldn't bear it and corrected her. "What One-Legged, Two-Legged, he is called..."

"Jie Zitui!" the little boy glared at them angrily. "Do I need you to teach me the story of 'Jie Zitui not seeking rewards'?"

"You, you young layman..." the novice monks were frustrated. "If you know, why did you listen so intently?"

"I love listening to Madam's stories, what can you do about it!" the little boy pouted. "Are you here for money? You're lucky, my second brother is not at home."

"Ah..." the novice monks immediately looked dejected, thinking they had spoken too much. Could Chen Sanlang's brother be so ignorant? This little master is just pretending to be cute; it's unknown whether it will affect the thickness of the red envelope.

The novice monks entered the gate, turned past a green-painted screen wall, and saw in the spacious front courtyard, paved with large square tiles, two tall young men were concentrating on an archery competition.

They stood at the corner of the east wall, with the target at the corner of the west wall, thirty paces away. Both drew their bows to full strength, and their arrows hit the red bullseye without fail, ten arrows in a row.

The taller, darker young man put down his bow, shook his head, and said in a dissatisfied voice, "Too close, not satisfying."

"This is to help you focus and cultivate your nature," the other young man, with a wheat-colored complexion and a heroic demeanor, laughed and scolded. "Not to practice archery."

"Third Brother, how about we go hunting outside the city one day?" the dark young man scratched his head. "I haven't been out for a while, and my hands are itchy."

"Hehe, me too," the young man lowered his voice and laughed. "Just don't let Second Brother know. One day we'll sneak out..." He finished, hung his bow and arrows on his waist, and bowed to the monks with a smile. "We've been waiting for you, great monks."

"Amitabha..." the leading monk clasped his hands, took the oil lamp from the dark young man, and then lifted the wind cover of the lamp basin, using the wick inside to light it.

The monk carefully handed the oil lamp back to the dark young man, who placed a silver ingot in his hand. In the Song Dynasty, Sichuan was treated like a stepchild by the court, which prohibited the flow of silver and copper as currency into Sichuan, leading to a severe shortage of silver and copper in the Sichuan Basin. They had to use iron coins, which were heavy and of low value, making them unsuitable for large transactions, thus leading to the creation of 'Jiaozi'.

However, in Sichuan, the most popular hard currency was still real silver and gold! Their rarity made them even more precious!

The monk subtly weighed the silver ingot and found it to be five taels, which made him smile broadly. "Amitabha, Layman Chen is generous and charitable. May the Buddha bless your family with safety and no fire or water disasters throughout the year..."

"Thank you, thank you," the young man bowed, a lazy smile on his lips. "I only hope the master will buy more pear syrup and not lose your voice from time to time..."

The monk's face turned red, and he clasped his hands. "Amitabha, this poor monk understands."

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After the monks left, Aunt Zhang pulled Sixth Brother inside and sighed, "Sanlang, I'm not being nosy, but no matter how much money you have, you shouldn't be so extravagant. Remember, good times don't last forever, and how long has your family been wealthy?"

" Aunt Zhang..." The heroic young man was Chen Ke, Chen Sanlang. It was now the eighth year of the Qingli era, and he had been in this world for three years, growing into a tall and handsome young man. If it weren't for the fact that he was the only Chen in the county, it would be hard to connect him with the frail child of the past.

Not only had his appearance changed dramatically, but his demeanor and speech had also become much more composed and mature, making people ask, "Whose fine young man is this?"

Chen Ke laughed loudly, "These monks have a hard time. They work rain or shine, 365 days a year. If we don't give them more, they might slack off in the future."

"Ah, I'm the one who's worried while the emperor isn't," Aunt Zhang laughed. "Since you, this little money god, have a steady income at home, why not spend it?"

Aunt Zhang was a female servant of the Chen family, a local from the county, who had signed a five-year employment contract at the beginning of the year. Because she had received the order from Chen Xiliang to "manage the boys a bit," she couldn't help but comment.

To be honest, the Chen family had undergone a complete transformation in the past three years. At the end of the sixth year of the Qingli era, they moved out of their small courtyard and into this newly renovated mansion... This three-courtyard large quadrangle was bought from a merchant, completely renovated inside and out, and furnished with high-quality furniture, costing a total of 200,000 coins.

Actually, Chen Xiliang was not in favor of such extravagance, but Chen Ke did not think so... In his previous life, he had spent one million yuan to buy an 80-square-meter two-bedroom apartment, which was a second-hand unfinished unit! Now, he could buy a fully furnished, renovated large quadrangle for just 200,000 coins. Only a fool would settle for less.

Based on the principle that the one who earns the money has the final say, Chen Xiliang did not oppose it, especially since he also had the desire to show others that the Chen family was no longer what it used to be... Even a gentleman cannot forget the shame of the family division and the humiliation of the broken engagement!

After moving into the new residence and seeing that the children had grown up, Chen Xiliang put his mind at ease and prepared to focus on the next imperial examination, which was this year. Since he would be traveling to study, he was worried about taking care of the children. Although he was not concerned about them being bullied, someone had to do the washing and cleaning. Therefore, he hired Aunt Zhang, who was in her forties.

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Everyone, let's work hard and give Uncle Guan a good thrashing. This is a great opportunity that you can't miss... Vote with all your might!

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