Chapter 37: Chapter 36: The Lotus Convention_1
The next day, the rain stopped.
Taking advantage of the sunshine, Yin Zheng brought out the damp bedding to air in the small courtyard. A thick line was strung under the eaves, and a once-bright rose-colored, pinch-bordered thin quilt was hung on it, sprinkling a layer of sunlight over the place and adding a few degrees of warmth to the small yard.
From outside the small window, Du Changqing glanced inside and said, "Miss Yinzhen, the courtyard is full of bedding. Make some room to dry the herbs, will you?"
As she smoothed a crease on the corner of the quilt, Yin Zheng replied, "The herbs are being aired every day, but if I don’t sun these quilts soon, they’ll start to mold. Besides, Shopkeeper Du," she glanced at Du Changqing, "you didn’t give me my monthly wages like you did for Miss Lu and Ah Cheng, so airing the herbs isn’t my responsibility either."
Du Changqing was choked up and found no words to refute Yin Zheng’s remark. He left in a huff.
Inside the shop, Ah Cheng was wiping tables, and Lu Tong was organizing the medicine cabinet.
Summer was half a month away and the recent spate of rainy days had lessened the nuisance of willow fluff; consequently, fewer people were buying Nasal Congestion Herbal Tea. Du Changqing, who had been busy for a while, had now started to idle again; he slumped on a bench and began to read leisurely.
In front of the medicine cabinet, Lu Tong opened the drawers and checked the herbs one by one, asking Du Changqing, "Shopkeeper Du, is there anything interesting happening in Shengjing lately?"
Caught off guard, Du Changqing looked at Lu Tong skeptically: "Why do you ask that?"
Without looking at him, Lu Tong explained, "I’ve noticed fewer people coming to the clinic to buy medicine, and hardly any patients seeking treatment. I’m planning to ask for a couple of days off. Miss Yinzhen and I are new to Shengjing and unfamiliar with the area, so I’m asking you if there’s a festival or a temple fair nearby worthy of a visit."
At the mention of this, Du Changqing’s interest was piqued, and he sat up straight with a smile, saying, "Doctor Lu, you’ve come to the right person. I used to roam and frolic in Shengjing, there wasn’t a festivity I didn’t know. As for the festival or temple fair you mentioned..." He pondered for a moment before continuing, "If we’re talking about something coming up soon, it would be the Green Lotus Festival on the first day of April."
Lu Tong paused in his inventory of herbs, "The Green Lotus Festival?"
"Yes, that’s right," Du Changqing spread his hands, "Those temples with heavy incense burning always have several fairs, be it a Guanyin Fair or a Ksitigarbha Fair, they’re all about coaxing money for incense and candles."
"The busiest of these is the Green Lotus Festival at Wan’en Temple on the first day of April. They say that on that day, the Bodhisattva opens her eyes, and those with heavy sins go there to release life to cleanse their karma. If there are unfulfilled wishes, they go there to light candles and pray earnestly. They believe the kind-hearted will have their wishes granted and evildoers will accumulate good deeds."
"I don’t believe in these things, but a lot of people do, especially those in business. Once the first day of April comes, they would rush to Wan’en Temple to light incense and seek blessings."
"When my father was still alive, he would drag me there every year, insisting I light the first incense, donating oil and rice, praying for a successful future for me. In the end, I turned out to be useless, which proves these Bodhisattvas are unreliable, just taking money without doing any work. They are not good stock."
He spoke with no hint of reverence, merely saying, "Although the Bodhisattvas are nothing much, you might still want to see the Green Lotus Festival for yourself. On the first day of April, they light the grand Dharma Lamp in Qinglian Pond. After the rituals, Wan’en Temple has many vendors selling snacks and Buddha statues, and the scenery on the mountain is quite decent with plenty of tourists around. It can be as lively as the New Year temple fair. Though you’ve missed the New Year fair, you can still catch the Green Lotus Festival."
Seeing Lu Tong listening intently as if very interested in the festival he was describing, Du Changqing became even more animated and spoke in greater detail to Lu Tong, "Wan’en Temple is not small. It is divided into several halls, each venerating different Bodhisattvas — I can’t tell which is which. I only know that the East Hall is for those seeking marriage partners, the West Hall is for education, the South Hall for wealth, and the North Hall for health. Before you go, you should inquire properly, lest you pray to the wrong deity. If you accidentally venerate a deity for children, and end up with a brood to take care of... the clinic might not be able to accommodate them..."
"...The Dharma Lamp has to be lit on the Dharma Boat. When I was a kid, I sneaked onto the Dharma Boat and ended up falling into the water, nearly drowning. My father beat me so hard I couldn’t get out of bed for three days, but I suppose you wouldn’t sneak onto the Dharma Boat."
"...On the day of the Dharma assembly, there will also be a ritual to release living creatures. Merchants and officials would buy thousands of baskets of turtles and loaches to pour into the pond. I heard that after the assembly, the monks scoop up those loaches and fry them up to eat, though I don’t know if that’s true."
"...Anyway, once when I went there, I sneaked into their back hall where they store the living loaches. Just took a small path around the woods to get there. No one comes to that back hall, and the water tank is really big. I caught the fattest one and roasted it to eat. It was a bit fishy, maybe because I didn’t add salt." He fell into a pleasant memory, with an intoxicated expression.
Ah Cheng couldn’t help but interrupt him, "Boss, maybe it’s precisely because you were disrespectful to the Bodhisattva, and even ate the loaches meant for release, that the Bodhisattva hasn’t blessed you to rise above others."
"Bullshit!" Du Changqing scolded him, "What’s wrong with eating two loaches? After I finished, I even bowed to the Bodhisattva. That should be the end of it, how can you still harp on that? Can a Bodhisattva be so petty?"
Ah Cheng had no choice but to shut up.
Du Changqing talked tediously and in detail. Yinzhen had gone out for a while, and after she came back, Du Changqing was still not finished talking, so she waited for a little less than half an hour.
It wasn’t until Du Changqing’s mouth was dry and he had nothing more to say that the man said, "Anyway, outsiders coming to Shengjing would mostly want to take a look at the Qinglian Festival. Having listened to me for so long today, you’d probably find it hard not to be interested. I think, on the first day of the fourth month, I’ll give you the day off to go have a look. But the mountain road is long, it’s best to set off half a day early. And when you come back, remember to bring me some apricot sweets from Wan’en Temple..."
Lu Tong smiled in response, tidied up the medicine cabinet, and walked with Yinzhen to the back store.
As soon as they entered the room, Yinzhen leaned in close and whispered to her, "Miss, Kuaihuo Tower has sent a message, saying that Wan Fu went there early this morning. He sent word that he agrees with what the lady said."
Lu Tong hummed softly in response.
It wasn’t surprising that Wan Fu would agree to work for her. Ke Chengxing was only a master, but Wan Quan shared Wan Fu’s blood. Which was heavier or lighter was clear at a glance.
Moreover, with Wan Fu’s intelligence, he should have realized long ago that if Ke Chengxing could silence other servants who knew about Lu Rou back then, he could possibly silence the Wan Family too.
People are always selfish; seeking benefits and avoiding harms is human instinct.
Yinzhen asked, "Now that Wan Fu has agreed to work for the lady, things will be much easier. What does the lady plan to do now?"
Lu Tong didn’t speak. She walked over to the medical chest under the table, squatted down, opened the lid, and took out a cloth bag from inside.
"On the first of the fourth month, is the Qinglian Festival at Wan’en Temple."
She took something out of the cloth bag and held it tightly in her hand.
"At the Qinglian Festival, the Bodhisattva opens her eyes."
Looking out of the window, Lu Tong spoke word by word, "On such a good day, evil doers should receive their just deserts."