Chapter 322 - Chapter 322: Chapter 318: Strange Person _1 (1/2)

Chapter 322: Chapter 318: Strange Person _1

Little Douzi agreed and hurriedly ran down the mountain.

The villagers poked their heads out to glance at Yingbao, cheerfully greeting, “Young Master, starting work so early.”

Yingbao nodded at them and returned to the Taoist temple.

The village was gradually growing prosperous now, and the vitality of the villagers had increased.

Even Cui Lan and little Douzi had put on weight.

People from the military station ten miles away had visited a few times, but they didn’t come to cause trouble, they would always discuss matters with Master in his room.

Originally Yingbao wanted to listen to what they were discussing, but she was stopped by her eldest senior brother, who wouldn’t allow her to approach Master’s room.

As a result, Yingbao developed some suspicions and would avoid them whenever she saw these people coming to visit.

The second senior brother, like her, was not allowed to approach, so every time this happened, he would take his little junior sister to explore the ‘melting hole’.

In the evening, Little Douzi and his grandfather brought Yingbao several large pottery pots, each of which could be used for bathing.

These pottery pots were not expensive, costing only around twenty or thirty coins each.

Yingbao paid the money, and, ignoring the questioning of her second senior brother, she cleaned them all and said she would use them to hold things.

The next day, when Master and the two senior brothers were not around, Yingbao quickly filled them with water and placed them in a secluded area of the yard, then waited for them to freeze.

And, sure enough, in just half a day, all the water in these large pots had frozen.

But the trouble was that she couldn’t get the ice out of the pots.

After pondering for a while, she came up with a solution.

She went to the kitchen to boil a pot of hot water, placing the pots with ice over the steaming hot water to warm for a while. Once the ice at the bottom of the pot melted, she could easily topple out the chunks of ice.

Once the ice was out, Yingbao didn’t rush to take it into her cave dwelling. Instead, she let it freeze again outside for a while before bringing it into her dwelling.

For the next month, Yingbao continually collected ice using this method, always doing so secretly when her senior brothers and Master were not around.

By December, more and more people were coming to buy the religious candles and water from the Taoist temple. Seeing that his small disciple was busy, Master Zhou Wuchang discussed with the village Head, asking them to select two young boys to help manage the sales.

However, the earnings from Shiquan Cave were still the responsibility of the three villages, and the money they earned was divided amongst themselves.

Yingbao didn’t interfere with these matters. She wrote a letter to her family and sister Wen, assuring them of her safety and enclosing with it a large package filled with crystal-clear stalactites.

She had asked Master to mail these letters and packages, so she didn’t worry about it herself.

As the New Year approached, it snowed for the second time in the area.

The flurrying large snowflakes quickly covered the earlier accumulated snow that hadn’t yet melted.

Yingbao sat alone on the warm kang bed, looking through the window at the people who braved the snow to worship.

The majority of them were the poor from nearby areas; some came asking for wealth, some came seeking medical help, and some came seeking a son.

Master Zhou Wuchang usually saw the ones who sought medical help but occasionally, when there was a female patient, he would call Yingbao to help.

Lately, Yingbao had seen several female patients, but most of them did not come for illnesses. Surprisingly, they were asking how to give birth to sons.

Whenever she met these women, Yingbao would call the second senior brother to perform a Sacrificial Dance for them.

Zhang Min was initially unwilling, but after being fixed under the deathly gaze of his younger sister, he had to reluctantly dance a few steps to please them.

Time passed quickly amidst such trivialities.

Before they knew it, it was already June of the following year.

By this time, Stone Spring Mountain had become a renowned spiritual site in the nearby regions.

A marketplace had gradually formed at the foot of the mountain. Wu Yi and the villagers built several houses and a couple of thatched sheds on the barren land at the foot of the mountain.

The houses provided rest for people, essentially becoming temporary inns. Under the thatched sheds, tea and spring water from Shiquan were sold.