Trouble was best avoided whenever possible. Gaojia Village was too fragile to survive any upheaval right now.
Li Daoxuan was about to wake Gao Yiye so she could pass along a message for him.
Just then, another figure climbed onto the wall. It was Shan Shi'er. He patted Gao Chuwu on the shoulder, signaling him to stay silent. Then he raised his voice and shouted toward Wang Er outside.
"Brother Wang, Gaojia Village appreciates your kind intentions. But now that you've rebelled, government troops will be hot on your heels. You'll have to flee from place to place, with little chance to settle down. Those two cartloads of grain won't make much difference to us. We can get by with them, and we can get by without them. But for you, that grain is essential for the difficult journey ahead. It means far more to you than it does to us. You're better off keeping it. After all, we should make the best use of what we have. That is what one calls using resources to their utmost potential."
Li Daoxuan chuckled inwardly. This guy is useful. With Shan Shi'er around, I have a lot less to worry about.
Zhuang Guangdao, another rebel leader who had risen up alongside Wang Er, leaned over and whispered, "Brother Wang, he has a point. Gaojia Village gave you flour last time, so they probably aren't short of food. We're about to take refuge in the mountains, where grain will be much harder to come by."
Another rebel leader, Zheng Yanfu, chimed in. "Brother Wang, you can repay their kindness once we've established ourselves. Look at Gaojia Village's attitude. It's clear they don't want to get involved with us."
Wang Er considered their words and understood.
So Gaojia Village doesn't dare accept my grain either.
Being a decisive man, he did not dwell on it. He cupped his fists toward the wall and called out loudly, "In that case, I, Wang Er, shall take my leave for now. The debt Gaojia Village is owed, Wang Er will not forget."
He waved his hand. "Let us go!"
Seeing him about to leave, Shan Shi'er suddenly spoke up. "Brother Wang!"
Wang Er halted and turned back.
Shan Shi'er sighed deeply, his voice low and heavy. "The women from the wealthy households in the county seat… what became of them?"
Wang Er froze as if struck by lightning. He stood stunned for several seconds, then turned his head. He threw two sharp, displeased glances at Zhuang Guangdao and Zheng Yanfu beside him before turning back. He cupped his fists silently at Shan Shi'er, then spun around and strode off.
They did not take long to vanish into the night.
Li Daoxuan noticed the direction they were heading was the same way they had retreated after the water theft incident. That way probably led to Wangjia Village, though he did not know how far it was from Gaojia Village.
After the brief commotion, peace returned to Gaojia Village.
Shan Shi'er tugged Gao Chuwu down from the wall. Behind them, a large crowd of villagers had already gathered. Wang Er's loud calls had woken many, though few dared to actually climb the wall.
Shan Shi'er immediately started lecturing the villagers. "You may have walls around Gaojia Village, but you have no proper defense! Not even a night watch rotation! This time it was Wang Er. He announced himself and woke us up to talk. But if other bandits came? If they threw grappling hooks over the wall and scaled up, we would be dead before we knew it!"
His complaint matched precisely what Li Daoxuan had wanted to raise.
The Village Chief stepped forward, shaking his head. "For a night watch, you need lanterns. Though this village is small, lining the entire wall with lanterns would require dozens. Where would we get that much lamp oil?"
Shan Shi'er frowned. That was a fair point. But then he laughed and said, "You worry about oil? Have all of you forgotten? Gaojia Village is under the protection of Tianzun! Bright and early tomorrow morning, let everyone kneel properly and kowtow reverently to the heavens. Will the oil not just… arrive?"
The villagers pondered this. "Oh… true! Tianzun always grants us food early in the morning. If at that time we all kneel properly and beseech Him, earnestly begging, maybe we can receive some oil."
Seeing them like this, Li Daoxuan found it quite amusing. Why wait until tomorrow morning? I can give you the oil right now.
He walked to his kitchen, picked up a large bucket of vegetable oil, and found a mineral water bottle lid. He intended to pour a capful into the box.
However, before he could act, a middle-aged woman stepped out from the crowd of little people. It was Mrs. Shan, the wife of Shan Shi'er.
Mrs. Shan pointed a finger at the villagers, her voice full of reproach. "I have not been in this village long, but I have a few words to say. You lot! You all show far too little respect to Tianzun!"
The villagers were baffled. "Disrespect? How have we disrespected Tianzun?"
Secretly cursing A bunch of ignorant bumpkins! though she knew better than to say it aloud, Mrs. Shan sniffed contemptuously. "Tianzun has manifested His power in this village and aided you greatly. Yet, have you built Him a temple? Cast Him a golden image? Offered incense? Whenever you pray to Him, all you do is kneel, kowtow, demanding this and that, insatiably greedy, without even the slightest semblance of proper ceremony!"
Her barrage of questions left the villagers utterly bewildered.
Seeing they genuinely seemed unenlightened, Mrs. Shan continued, exasperated. "When monks beseech the Buddha for blessings, they still bathe, change into clean clothes, ring bells, beat wooden fish, chant scriptures… and the Buddha does not even always heed them! If you truly wish to beseech Tianzun for something, consider at least ringing a bell, burning some incense, lighting a candle… show some proper etiquette!"
Her words struck the villagers with clarity. Yes! Our manners have been incomplete. What face do we have to ask for this and that?
Li Daoxuan, hearing this, almost burst out laughing. These rituals mean nothing to me, truly…
Wait!
A lightbulb went off in Li Daoxuan's head. These rituals… might actually be meaningful.
Because the little people were so small, their voices were faint. He often struggled to hear them clearly. Even when they shouted toward the sky, he could easily miss their words.
If, every time they wanted to speak to him, they first grabbed a large bell and clanged it loudly a few times with a heavy hammer… then he would hear them easily.
So that is the practical purpose of monks ringing bells! Damn. Who would have thought I would find meaning in feudalistic ritualistic formalities? Oh no… my materialist heart seems to be wavering…
Mrs. Shan continued her scolding. "Tomorrow morning, everyone wash up and put on clean clothes. Especially you, Miss Gao Yiye! You are the divine envoy chosen by Tianzun. Come to my house. I will find you a better dress and help you dress properly. You will be the one to lead the prayers to Tianzun… Hey, you two blacksmiths! Do not sleep tonight! Work through the night forging a large bell. We will need it tomorrow morning!"
Facing these arrangements by Mrs. Shan, the villagers dared not voice a single objection. They all obediently complied.
Li Daoxuan, observing this discussion silently from his place in the sky, found it quite entertaining. I planned to give them the oil right away, but now… I think I will hold off. Let us see what happens tomorrow morning.
Also…
His gaze lingered on Shan Shi'er and Mrs. Shan. The arrival of these two in the village has proven remarkably helpful to me.