Chapter 10 A day when black and white were reversed
Because there had been some minor conflicts at the dinner table, Zhao Ran could not take the initiative to say hello to these Jingsha classmates, which would make him look too cowardly, so he hurried back to the west room while they were joking.
Jiao Tan and Zhou Huai were already snoring loudly. Zhao Ran climbed onto the bed, covered his ears with the quilt, and fell into a hazy state.
He didn't know how long he had slept, but Zhao Ran was pushed awake by someone. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the oil lamp on the wooden table in the corner had been lit, and Jiao Tan and Zhou Huai were putting on short coats.
"Brother Zhao, wake up quickly. It's time to go to work. If you are late, you will be punished." As he spoke, Jiao Tan had already put on his coat and urged Zhao Ran to get up.
Zhao Ran quickly got up, untied the package he received yesterday, and put the Taoist clothes on himself, but was stopped by Jiao Tan: "Don't wear those clothes when you go to work. Put them away. You'd better wear your old clothes."
Just wear a short coat... Do you think you are going to attend a ceremony?"
When Zhao Ran heard that it made sense, he immediately put on his original rags, picked out his short coat from the package, and followed the two of them out the door.
In the middle of the moon, I heard frogs chirping from far and near from time to time. The three of them took advantage of the moonlight and walked down the mountain path, bypassing several small courtyards, and arrived at the trough house. Zhou Zhixiu, the sweeper, was already waiting in the trough house.
Behind him at the door was a donkey cart. The old donkey pulling the cart seemed to be awake, with its four hooves dangling from side to side.
Zhou Yutou handed the donkey cart to the three of them, turned around and left with a yawn.
The old donkey knew the way, so he didn't need anyone to lead him. He pulled the cart forward and stopped behind the stall. This was where the horse stalls were, and the dozen horses raised in Wuji Courtyard were all kept here.
Jiao Tan took down a diabolo basket from the car and asked Zhao Ran to carry it. He and Zhou Huai each took a wooden fork and walked to the back of the horse stall. Jiao Tan and Zhou Huai were forking horse dung while walking towards Zhao Ran.
He threw it into the bamboo basket he was carrying. Zhao Ran held his breath and followed behind. After a while, less than half of the basket of horse dung was piled up in the bamboo basket.
The dung basket filled with horse manure was placed back on the cart, and Zhao Ran let out a long breath. Jiao Tan and Zhou Huai chuckled, and put the forks back on the cart without saying much.
The old donkey was like a spirit and didn't need to be urged. He pulled the cart and left. Jiao, Zhou was not surprised, but Zhao Ran was surprised. He stepped forward and stroked the old donkey's ears. The old donkey turned his head and glanced.
He glanced at it and raised his voice, seemingly dissatisfied.
Following the old donkey, the three of them began to sweep. There are three private rooms in Wujiyuan. One is in the front yard outside Sanqing Hall, which is specially used for pilgrims to relieve their worries. The other is in the living room on the southwest side, for lay people who stay overnight.
It was used by the Taoist who made orders. These two places were not commonly used, and the private room was very tidy. The three of them cleaned it in less than half an hour.
The most frequently used one is naturally the residence of the Taoists of Wuji Temple - the subdivided room outside the dormitory. More than a hundred Taoist priests and Huo Gong laymen eat, drink and have sex here all day long. You can imagine the situation.
The three of them brought water, cleaned the tunnel, and then washed the floor. There was no need to explain the process in detail, otherwise it would be unsightly. The room was cleaned up, and then moved to the back of the room. Jiao Tan opened the cover on the cesspit of the room.
On the wooden board, a strong odor of excrement hit their faces, causing the three of them to hide back. In addition to the stench, there was also a piercing smell in the cesspit. Zhao Ran knew that this thing could be used as energy, but at this moment he could not
Not interested in talking about it.
After the smell dissipated for a while, the three of them picked up the long-handled dung scoops on the cart and began to pour the dung into the buckets. They filled three large buckets until they reached the bottom.
After all the three dormitories were cleaned, the old donkey pulled the cart to the backyard again. The dormitory is the residence of the Taoists of Wujiyuan, but high-level Taoist priests do not live here. The abbot, supervisor, and three of Wujiyuan
The capital (duguan,dushuo,duchu) and the eight deacons were all concentrated in the backyard, living alone in one courtyard, or with two or three people in one courtyard, and their lives were obviously much more comfortable.
At the entrance of each small courtyard, there are bowls and buckets specially used by these high-level Taoist priests. The three of them took away the dirt in the buckets and wiped them clean with clean water. This was considered complete.
The old donkey pulled the cart down the mountain path. The cart creaked softly on the mountain path, like a cheerful ditty. However, Zhao Ran was not interested in feeling the romance of walking on the mountain trail at night. He
I almost vomited when I was cleaning the bowl just now.
At the foot of the back mountain is a depression, with deep pools of half an acre in between. The three of them emptied the dung buckets on the carts here, and then took them to the mountain spring next to them to wash them clean. Jiao, Tuesday and Zhao Ran took the
After taking off his short coat, he washed himself with mountain spring water, then washed his hands and face. Zhao Ran's desire to vomit was relieved a little.
He finally understood why these two rich men were so slovenly. After finishing their work, washing up before going to bed and the like were trivial matters. Compared with sweeping, those habits were completely redundant.
Jiao Tan pointed to the invisible distance in the dark night and said to Zhao Ran: "The land at the foot of the mountain is all Fengtian under the name of the Taoist temple. The fertilizer and water used by the tenants on a daily basis come from here."
Zhao Ran was silent for a moment and suddenly asked: "Brother Jiao and Brother Zhou, you two come from wealth, but you have to endure this pain. Is it worth it?"
Jiao Tan smiled: "Whether you are willing or unwilling, since you are here, you have to endure it. My family has spent a lot of effort to get such an opportunity... The opportunity to come to Wuji Temple for miscellaneous cultivation is not mine, but
Brother Cong couldn't bear the pain and fled back after only two months, so it was my turn."
Zhao Ran was stunned: "Escape back? Doesn't the courtyard care?"
Jiao Tan said: "Why should the courtyard take care of it? My family's legs have been broken since my brother returned home. I'm afraid it will be difficult to travel in the future."
Zhao Ran hesitated, but Zhou Huai said coldly: "It's not just for yourself, but for the whole clan. If you can't see through this, you don't have to hang around at home. It's best to fend for yourself."
Jiao Tan nodded: "Yes, as long as you survive this test, you can escape when new people come to the courtyard. No matter which room you transfer to, it will be easier. After ten years, you will be able to enjoy the scenery."
Returning to our hometown. For us and other common people, this is the best shortcut to earn a future and livelihood. If luck comes and we get a chance to accept the ultimatum, then we will have been able to live in hardship for many years."
Zhao Ran was stunned for a moment, and then asked quickly: "Can a layman who is a fireworker also receive an ultimatum?"
"Those like us who have no qualifications for practicing Taoism should of course not expect too much, but there is no chance. Every Taoist sect, palace, and courtyard will issue a batch of ultimatums to those who have the qualifications every three or two years.
The best. But how few people in the world can practice Taoism? If we strictly follow this example, I am afraid that there will not be many people in the Taoist sect. Therefore, there will always be some opportunities for ordinary people, or those with prominent families, or those with smart talents.
... Just like the forty or fifty Taoist priests who received the ultimatum in Wuji Courtyard, almost all of them are like this. Those who can practice Taoism have all gone to the pavilion."
Zhao Ran felt like a pot was boiling in his heart. He was worried about gains and losses, thinking about how he could find a way to get this ultimatum so that he could become a noble Taoist priest. After pondering for a moment, he was discouraged. He didn't have a deep family background or support.
To go further, the chances are really slim.
Thinking of this, he temporarily let go of the idea and chatted with Jiao Tan and Zhou Huai while following the old donkey back to the mountain gate. During this time, Zhao Ran asked, since Jiao Tan and Zhou Huai are both wealthy children, why don't they hire some part-time workers?
Jiao Tan said that the Taoist temple must practice hard work. Unless you reach a high-level position, it is best to work honestly. Cheating and cheating are absolutely not allowed.
Zhao Ran further asked, most of the fire masters who could enter the Taoist monastery came from wealthy families, so why did they live in such poverty?
Jiao Tan explained, again, unless you reach a high-level position, you should live according to the rules of the Taoist temple. The Huo Gong laymen only have one day of rest every ten days. On the day of rest, you can go down the mountain. You can enjoy whatever you want at the foot of the mountain.
It's optional, but in the mountains, if you have money, there is no place to spend it. All food and clothing must abide by the rules of the Taoist sect, and no luxury items are allowed into the mountain gate.
Zhou Huai added, "Brother Zhao, have you ever seen how Brother Guan and his gang of house cleaners spend their days in the Taoist temple? They secretly play cards, and the winnings are really not that big."
Zhao Ran continued to ask, if the next batch of new lay monks enter the mountain, he and others can leave the private houses?
Jiao Tan said, this is true. According to the rules of order, Zhou Huai leaves first, then I, Mr. Jiao... He patted Zhao Ran on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Brother Zhao, please be patient."
The old donkey returned to his trough, and the three of them also returned to the west room. The sky was already dawning, but Jiao Tan and Zhou Huai fell on the bed and fell asleep, snoring loudly on their heels.
Zhao Ran was also very sleepy, and soon fell asleep in a daze. This time he finally understood that this job was indeed confusing right and wrong, and now he also joined the ranks of those who sleep with their heads covered during the day.