Chapter 10: Father

There was a saying about desperate times calling for desperate measures. Something that had already seemed hopeless was stirred up again by Ye Tian’s words. After searching around for Ye Tian without success, Liao Haode took his grandnephew and hurried back to the village to discuss matters with others.

Meanwhile, Ye Tian, the one who had started it all, leisurely played outside for a while longer. Only when he saw the sky gradually darkening did he head towards Miao Laoda’s house.

Hearing the roar of an engine coming from behind the house, Ye Tian did not enter the yard. Instead, he turned a corner and went to the pond at the back.

Jiangnan had many rivers. Miao Laoda had hired people to dig a ditch from the fish pond, diverting the water to a nearby river. At that moment, besides over twenty young men shoveling soil into the pond, several tractors were rumbling back and forth, transporting earth.

Seeing Miao Laoda flustered as he directed the work, Ye Tian smiled and said, “Hey, Brother Miao, you’re working fast, aren’t you?”

Two fairly large ponds were already almost filled in just that short afternoon. No matter the era, having money always made things easier.

“Ah, it’s the little master! Have a look, is the pond being filled properly?”

When Miao Laoda saw Ye Tian approaching, he quickly asked. However, it looked somewhat ridiculous for a grown man like him to be seeking advice from a little kid holding a sugar figurine.

“Miao Laoda, who is this kid? Are there such young Taoists up in the mountains?” asked a helper who was drinking water nearby. Even though they were all locals, since Miao Laoda had gotten rich, he hadn’t spoken to anyone with such respect, had he?

“Uh, this is… I say, why worry about so much? You’ll have wine to drink tonight, that’s all that matters.”

Miao Laoda didn’t know how to explain. If he told the truth, the people from the police station would probably come looking for him the next day. Wouldn’t that be openly promoting feudal superstition?

Rich people had thick skins. Hearing Miao Laoda’s words, that man wasn’t angry. He resentfully picked up a shovel and went back to work. Miao Laoda then looked at Ye Tian again. This matter concerned his life and property, after all.

“Okay, as long as it’s filled up, it’s fine…”

Ye Tian nodded, but he was somewhat dismissive. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help Miao Laoda look again, but the tortoise shell simply wouldn’t obey him anymore. All the characters on it had turned a dull gray.

After hearing Ye Tian’s words, Miao Laoda shouted loudly, “Everyone, put in a bit more effort! Once this last bit is done, you’re all invited to my house for a meal!”

In the mid-1980s, not to mention the countryside, even in the cities, it was hard to find many proper engineering companies.

Usually, for any heavy labor, people would ask relatives, friends, and neighbors for help. Except for building houses, for something like filling a fish pond, no one talked about wages. Finishing the work and having a drink was enough.

“Hey, Brother Miao, will there be wine?”

“What are you talking about? When Miao Laoda hosts, could there be no wine or meat?”

“Erwa, if you drink too much, be careful your wife won’t let you into bed. Want me to sleep at your place tonight?”

“Get lost! I’ll break your dog legs…”

“Alright, everyone, work a bit faster. Finish this last bit, and we’ll go drink and eat meat.”

As soon as Miao Laoda finished speaking, everyone laughed and chattered. The workers were all locals. Hearing Miao Laoda’s words, they began joking with each other.

In Miao Laoda’s spacious yard, electric lights were strung up. Several large round tables were laden with food and drink. After over twenty strong men finished their work, they noisily began drinking.

Even Ye Tian was offered half a cup of wine by Miao Laoda. However, after downing that half cup, Ye Tian felt lightheaded and didn’t know what was happening anymore.

…

Early the next morning, several carpenters and builders arrived at Miao Laoda’s door. After Ye Tian and the Old Taoist got up, they sat on a tractor and headed toward Maoshan.

Even though they passed by his own home on the way, Ye Tian still didn’t dare go back. Who knew if his dad’s anger had subsided? Peeping at women bathing was pure hooliganism in the countryside. Even a child couldn’t avoid a good beating for that.

“Old Immortal, your health is truly excellent.”

After climbing for over half an hour, the group reached the Taoist temple. Miao Laoda and the other strong men were panting heavily from exhaustion. In contrast, the old and the young—the Old Taoist and Ye Tian—seemed hardly even sweaty.

“Hehe, Lay Practitioner Miao, if you could leave your worldly affairs behind and live here for a period, your health would improve too.”

Hearing this, the Old Taoist laughed but didn’t say more. If these people knew he was already over a hundred years old, who knows how scared they might be.

“Hehe, I’m destined for labor, not like you, Old Immortal.”

When Miao Laoda said this, he did feel a bit envious. The mountain peak the Old Taoist occupied wasn’t famous, but the scenery was excellent.

In front of the Taoist temple was a bamboo forest, below which was a small waterfall. Especially in summer, the mist around the waterfall made it seem like a fairyland, refreshing everyone who saw it.

After resting briefly in front of the Taoist temple, the craftsmen got busy, carefully inspecting the temple from front to back.

After over half an hour, a man who seemed to be the head craftsman walked over. He took out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, carefully extracted one, and handed it to Miao Laoda. He said, “Boss Miao, this Taoist temple is too badly damaged. The main hall was even struck by lightning, and the main beam needs replacing too. This is a big job.”

Generally, the main beam was only installed when building a new house. If the Taoist temple needed a new main beam, it was equivalent to tearing it down and rebuilding it. The cost would be different from simple repairs.

“Old Wu, name your price.”

In Miao Laoda’s mind, only a lofty master who was indifferent to fame and fortune would live in such a place. Combined with yesterday’s events, he already regarded the Old Taoist as a living immortal. Even spending more money was something he was willing to do.

Old Wu extended three fingers and said, “At least… three thousand!”

This Taoist temple had one main hall and two side rooms, each quite large. Building it was no easier than constructing the large tile-roofed houses down the mountain. Three thousand was a fair price.

“Alright, three thousand it is. Everyone, work hard and build it up soon.”

In the 1980s, three thousand yuan was enough to buy a single-family house of over a hundred square meters in the city. So even for a ten-thousand-yuan household like Miao Laoda, he weighed it in his mind for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and agreeing.

After the price was settled, naturally, the craftsmen got busy. Ye Tian then led Miao Laoda down the mountain. With over ten workers, someone needed to cook, right? As the saying goes, keep the benefits within the family. Ye Tian could only brace himself and go down the mountain.

…

“Hey, you brat, come here and let me beat you up, then we’re even…”

As soon as Li Erlengzi stepped out of his house, he ran into Ye Tian. His anger immediately flared up. The reason he was called Erlengzi wasn’t because he couldn’t tell crops apart, but mainly because he was stubborn. Once his temper flared, he would argue seriously with anyone, adult or child.

“Second Uncle, why would you beat me? My master is up on the mountain and needs to repair the Taoist temple. Let Second Aunt come help with the cooking. She’ll earn two yuan a day. If Second Aunt won’t do it, I’ll find someone else.”

Ye Tian knew very well what he was doing. He went straight to Li Erlengzi’s house upon reaching the village. As for peeping at his wife bathing, as long as Erlengzi didn’t make a fuss, his dad might not necessarily beat him.

Li Er was stubborn, not stupid. Country women had little to do all day. A good opportunity to earn two yuan a day was not something to pass up. Seeing Ye Tian about to leave, he quickly grabbed him and said, “Hey, don’t go, Little Yezi! Who said your Second Aunt wouldn’t go?”

“Alright then, Second Uncle, you discuss it with Brother Miao. I’m going home now…”

When coming down the mountain, Ye Tian had already told Miao Laoda that he wasn’t an ordained Taoist priest; his home was in this village.

So Miao Laoda wasn’t surprised. He proceeded to discuss with Li Erlengzi. Just his wife alone wouldn’t be enough; they also needed to get some men to carry rice, flour, meat, and vegetables up the mountain.

…

“Dad, enjoying the cool air?”

Pushing open his own courtyard gate, Ye Tian first poked his little head inside to look. Unexpectedly, he met the eyes of his father, who was sitting in the yard. Helplessly, he walked into the yard.

“You brat, went to see your master again?”

Seeing Ye Tian’s mismatched outfit, Ye Dongping didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He had beaten this child plenty since he was young, but it never seemed to have much effect. The more he beat him, the tougher he got.

“Yes, went down the mountain with Master to find people to repair the Taoist temple.”

Seeing that his dad wasn’t angry, Ye Tian’s courage immediately grew. He proudly took out the damp-with-sweat “Worker-Peasant-Soldier” bill from his pocket and said, “Dad, Master helped someone with Feng Shui yesterday. This is the money they gave me. You keep it.”

Ye Tian knew his dad agreed with him learning ancient literature and martial arts from his master, but he didn’t allow him to learn messy things like fortune-telling and physiognomy. So he didn’t dare say he earned this money himself.

“You silly child, if someone gave it to you, you keep it. Just don’t spend it recklessly.” Seeing his son so thoughtful, Ye Dongping’s nose tingled a little.

Compared to other children, Ye Tian had the least materially. But this child had never asked him for a single cent, nor had he ever complained of hardship. Father and son had relied on each other for over ten years like this.

“Once Xiao Tian finishes elementary school, we’ll go back. Only by returning to Beijing can he get a better education…”

Looking at his son, Ye Dongping made a decision in his heart. His own generation had already been delayed. Even if he had to pull a handcart and work himself to the bone back in Beijing, he couldn’t delay the child any longer.

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Seeing his dad’s face didn’t look good, Ye Tian asked with concern.

“It’s nothing…” Hearing his son’s words, Ye Dongping pulled back his thoughts.

“Wait, I could read Dad’s face. He never tells me about the past…”

This idea suddenly popped into Ye Tian’s mind. Once it appeared, he couldn’t suppress it anymore. Because Ye Tian always had a puzzle in his heart: he had never seen his own mother.

Although he learned from villagers that his mother was very beautiful, Ye Tian had never heard his father mention her. As he slowly grew older, this became a worry in his heart.