White-robed Minister

0052 [The Mountain Monk's Assistance]

Pujian Temple is very small, with only a dozen or so monks.

Just think about it: there are temples and monasteries everywhere in and around Guangzhou, so how many devout men and women would come to the mountains to worship Buddha?

If the incense offerings are not plentiful, the income will naturally not be high, and the monks will have to farm the land themselves on a regular basis.

The commotion caused by the crowd outside the temple had already attracted the attention of the monks inside. The temple attendant led the young novice monk out to investigate.

Upon seeing them dressed in traditional robes, the monk in charge of receiving guests immediately stepped forward with a smile, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "On this auspicious Shangsi Festival, the presence of you scholars on your spring outing truly brings honor to our humble temple."

The crowd returned the greeting with bows and explained their purpose in a flurry of chatter.

Ding Zhengchen was even more interesting. He took out a silver ingot and stuffed it into the hand of the guest monk, saying, "My father has long heard of the great name of Pujian Temple, but has never had the opportunity to come and worship Buddha in person. This time, he asked me to bring some incense money to offer."

The monk in charge of receiving guests was stunned.

How incredibly wealthy they must be, spending money like silver ingots! Pujian Temple, nestled in the mountains, hasn't seen such extravagant guests in many years.

The temple gates were immediately opened wide to warmly welcome those who were destined to come.

The guest monk instructed the young novice beside him to quickly inform the other monks to prepare a vegetarian meal. Xu Lai's group consisted of nearly thirty people, more than the monks in the temple, so chopping vegetables and cooking would take half a day.

Led by the monk in charge of receiving guests, everyone went to their guest rooms to settle their luggage.

Xu Lai curiously surveyed the temple's interior and discovered that it was actually quite large, but many of the buildings had fallen into disrepair over the years.

This temple was first built in the Tang Dynasty, but it fell into disrepair by the early Northern Song Dynasty. It was rebuilt seventy years ago with funds raised. However, its incense offerings have never been very good, resulting in a decreasing number of monks.

"That courtyard is the Guest House," the monk said apologetically. "We were unaware of your arrival, scholars, and did not prepare the room in advance. Please do us the honor of staying at the Cloud and Water Hall."

The Zunkeliao, also known as the Guanfang, is a place that most temples with sufficient resources will have. It has a private courtyard, dedicated staff, and is used only to receive distinguished guests.

Yunshuitang, also known as Danguoliao, is essentially a series of large communal rooms used to accommodate wandering monks, travelers, pilgrims, and their entourages.

Ordinary pilgrims can also stay in meditation rooms.

The guest monk then invited two more monks, along with Liang Wensu, Ding Zhengchen's pageboys, and Cai Chengyou's apprentice, to clean the large dormitory-style guest rooms.

Before long, Abbot Huiming arrived and invited everyone to have tea in the courtyard where the abbot's room was located.

The monk Huiming was about sixty years old, with a thin face and simple clothes.

His bald head was shiny and gleaming; he probably shaved every day. Unlike the young novices in the temple, some of whom had already grown buzz cuts.

The monk Huiming personally lit a small stove to brew his homemade calamus tea for everyone.

Xu Lai sat on the stone bench and explained his identity and purpose.

"Amitabha!"

As the monk Huiming added firewood, he said, "This matter benefits the people, and our temple will do its utmost to help."

Cai Chengyou said, "We want to know which springs and streams in the mountains have the largest water volume and flow year-round, and which are the most suitable for digging canals to bring in water?"

After pondering for a while, Monk Huiming took out some burning firewood, extinguished the flames, and drew a diagram on the ground: "If we want to bring water into the city, we should use the spring water from the southern foot of Pujian Mountain. I know of at least twenty or thirty springs there, large and small. But only a few of them are perpetually flowing and have the most abundant water."

The scholars all stood up and gathered around the old monk to watch him draw.

The monk Huiming drew a circle with firewood: "This is the location of our temple. Three or four li to the northwest of here, there is a Drop of Water Rock. The cliff is several zhang high, and water seeps from the rock layers all year round, gathering to form a pool. Even during the severe droughts of winter and spring, the pool never runs dry. This spring is located at a high altitude, and its water volume is the most stable. The source of Pujian is here."

Tsai Cheng-yu then asked, "After the water is diverted here, are there any other streams flowing into it along the way?"

"have."

The monk Huiming drew lines with firewood: "The water from Dripping Rock first flows into Lianquan, which is the waterfall you saw when you went up the mountain. Below the waterfall is a deep pool called Lianquan Pool. When the water overflows from the pool, it becomes Pujian. Pujian meanders down and absorbs three smaller streams along the way: Changpujian, Jinshajian, and Ganxi."

"How is the water volume of these three streams? Is it affected by the seasons?" Cai Chengyou asked again.

The monk Huiming said, "Changpu Stream is the smallest, it rises in summer and dries up in winter, so it's not very reliable. Jinsha Stream is a bit larger, but the water is more turbid, and you need to let the sand settle before you can drink it. Only Ganxi Stream seeps out from a rock crevice east of the temple, it's clear all year round, and tastes as sweet as nectar. This humble monk uses Ganxi Stream water for his daily tea."

Xu Lai remained silent throughout; he left professional matters to the professionals.

Including asking questions.

Under Cai Chengyou's persistent questioning, the old monk revealed some good news.

The monk Huiming said, "Actually, there is a stone irrigation canal in the mountains, and a stone pond was also built for storing water. Emperor Liu Chang of the Southern Han Dynasty often came to Pujian Temple to escape the summer heat, and the stone canal and the stone pond were built specifically for him and his entourage."

Yang Shu couldn't help but ask, "Are the stone canals and embankments left over from the Southern Han Dynasty still usable today?"

Monk Huiming said, “In some places, the walls of the trough have cracked due to years of disrepair. Moreover, it is clogged with mud, sand, and fallen leaves. Even if it is cleaned in the future, it will still require special personnel to dredge it at any time. Your method of using bamboo pipes to draw water is very good. You can lay bamboo pipes inside the Nanhan stone trough, so you don’t have to worry about it getting clogged, and you don’t need to send special personnel to clean it.”

"Furthermore, the bottom of that stone pond is also covered with mud, sand, and decaying leaves. Because the irrigation canal is silted up, the spring water can't flow through it, so it accumulates when it rains and dries up when it doesn't rain. It needs to be thoroughly cleaned up."

The old monk continued, "When I was young, I traveled to Sichuan and saw the people of Sichuan using bamboo pipes to draw water from springs. They could cross mountain streams and deep valleys, which was truly ingenious. Although Guangzhou is not as dangerous as the roads in Sichuan, there are seven or eight places where you have to cross ditches and ridges from Pujian to the foot of the mountain, and bamboo pipes are indispensable."

For the next fifteen minutes, while brewing tea, the monk Huiming introduced and analyzed other springs and routes.

As they chatted, Xu Lai couldn't help but ask, "Cai Dulu, won't diverting water from the upper reaches of the Ganxi River into the city affect irrigation for farmland in the middle and lower reaches?"

Cai Chengyou smiled and said, "No. We only draw water from the source; we can't cut off the entire stream. Many mountain springs flow in along the way, continuously replenishing the downstream. After the upstream of Ganxi is diverted, it can actually reduce the backflow of saltwater downstream and make it easier for downstream flooding during the rainy season. Ganxi is connected to the Pearl River, and there are sluice gates there. If Ganxi is short of water during the dry season, the sluice gates can be opened to draw water from the Pearl River to supplement it."

From the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, continuous excavation was carried out, and the downstream area had a complete water conservancy system with rivers, canals and canals intersecting and connecting.

After the old monk finished speaking, the scholars began to drink tea, and everyone was in a pleasant mood.

Things went more smoothly than expected. Surprisingly, there were stone irrigation canals and water storage ponds left over from the Southern Han Dynasty in the mountains, which would greatly shorten the construction period and reduce construction costs.

Moreover, the old monk was very familiar with the terrain and directly pointed out where they should go to survey, even indicating which route the bamboo tubes should take to save time.

As evening approached, the old monk invited everyone to dinner.

The rice was made from a mixture of grains, and the side dishes were mainly wild vegetables, with two or three small dishes of pickled vegetables. Because there were too many people, there wasn't enough homemade tofu, so each person could only have a small dish.

When Abbot Huiming learned that they would be staying for several days, he sent monks down the mountain to buy rice and vegetables.

That night, the scholars slept on a large communal bed.

The next day, several people woke up to find that due to a lack of exercise and the minor damage to their muscle fibers from hiking the previous day, they felt soreness in their thighs even when walking on flat ground.

But they still insisted on going to survey the area, limping towards Dripping Rock.

Cai Chengyou took out various measuring tools and taught them how to use them, as well as how to calculate manpower, materials, and workload.

Xu Lai also deliberately delayed the time, only lingering in one place to reduce the amount of exercise today, so that everyone could study in peace.

When we returned to the temple in the late afternoon, everyone was starving and wolfed down their vegetarian meal.

Luo Dunxin, who wanted to give up halfway yesterday, is now holding his chopsticks and sighing, "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. I haven't traveled very far these past two days, but I've already gained a lot."

Another scholar named Lin Zongyao said, "I just entered the prefectural school this year, and I am extremely fortunate to be able to participate in this matter. In the past, when I studied in the village school, I knew the importance of water conservancy, but I had no idea how to get started."

"Let's offer a bowl of water instead of wine to Xu Sanlang!" Yang Shu said, raising his earthenware bowl.

Although this guy has given up alcohol, he retains his old habit of substituting water for alcohol while eating. His bold and unrestrained personality is something he'll never change in this lifetime.

Xu Lai laughed and said, "This is not my achievement; it should be attributed to Cai Du."

"Yes, yes, yes, I knew it."

Everyone raised their bowls together; they had indeed learned something truly valuable from Cai Chengyou.

Cai Chengyou was flattered and quickly stood up with his bowl in hand: "I am an old man, and although I know a few words, I dare not compare myself to you scholars. It is a blessing I have accumulated over several lifetimes to be able to work with you scholars."

Seeing everyone holding up their bowls, Xu Lai shouted, "Today we drink from this spring together, and tomorrow all the people of the city will be able to drink from this spring. We only need to work hard for a few days, and we can ensure that the people no longer have to drink salty and bitter water. Is it worth it?"

"value!"

"Let's do it!"

The crowd responded enthusiastically, drank freely from the sweet spring, and then burst into laughter.

After finishing the meal, Xu Lai began to work with Cai Chengyou to assign the surveying tasks for the next day.

They were first divided into three teams, each surveying a spring that never dries up throughout the year, calculating its water output, and determining the construction route.

For a time, all the scholars who received the task were full of ambition and eager to try.

That night, Yang Shu lay on the communal bed, unable to sleep: "Sanlang, will Master Yu really support us?"

"Whether he supports it or not is his business; we just need to do our job well," Xu Lai replied.

In the darkness, a scholar asked, "After returning to the city, how can we see Lord Yu? Shall we go together to the Military Governor's Office to request an audience?"

Xu Lai said, "We can give it a try. My original idea was to offer something that would benefit the people, and use it to explain the water diversion strategy."

Ding Zhengchen asked curiously, "What kind of thing benefits the people?"

"Do you remember when we visited Juhu last time, I asked if we could use scissors to prune the mulberry trees?" Xu said. "I plan to make a pair of scissors. They can be used to prune mulberry branches, fruit branches, tea trees, and flowering plants."

Wen Zhonghe laughed and said, "I thought you were joking. You really want to make those kinds of scissors?"

"Why not?" Xu Lai countered.

Liang Wensu said, "There are many blacksmith shops in the neighborhood north of my house, near the suburbs. If Sanlang wants to make scissors, I'll take you there."

"Thank you," Xu said.

"Go to sleep, we have work to do tomorrow."

"I have trouble sleeping. I keep feeling like I'm doing something great that will bring honor to my ancestors and benefit the people."

"Haha, me too. If I bring this up next time I go home for vacation, my elders will definitely praise me."

"I hope we can all pass the provincial examination next year and then go to the capital for the metropolitan examination together."

"Brother Ding, I have offended you in the past, and I looked down on you because you are of foreign descent. I hope you will forgive me."

"I don't remember at all. You're welcome to visit me when you're back in the city."

"Definitely, definitely."

"..."

In the dark guest room, everyone lay on the large communal bed and chatted more and more enthusiastically.

I was so excited that I didn't fall asleep until midnight, and when I woke up the next day, I was yawning all the time.