Chapter 57: Seeing the Old Taoist

“Dad, have some water…”

“Uncle Ye, let go, I’ll do it. Wow, this whole cart of books must weigh hundreds of pounds.”

Ye Tian and Feng Kuang hurriedly helped Ye Dongping remove the straps, offering water and unloading the cart. The Recycling Station regained some of the liveliness it had a few days ago.

“This autumn heat is really intense. Xiao Tian, go get a bottle of beer…”

After gulping down the plain cool water Ye Tian brought, Ye Dongping was still unbearably hot. He took off his shirt and used it like a towel, wiping his face and body.

“Dad, you… your body…”

When Ye Tian returned with the beer and stood next to his father, he froze. Looking at the thick red mark stretching from his father’s shoulder to his chest, Ye Tian felt as if something had pricked his heart, a wrenching ache.

Ye Dongping didn’t mind the minor injuries at all. With a smile, he took the beer and patted his son’s head. “Brats, why the long faces? Look at this whole cart of books I collected. Feng Zi, you couldn’t manage this, could you?”

“Uncle Ye, I couldn’t collect this many books in a week. Where did you get them all?”

Feng Kuang had been worried earlier that Ye Dongping couldn’t handle people’s disdainful looks and might return empty-handed today. Seeing Ye Dongping’s haul now, he could hardly believe it. Could it be that educated people were just better at everything?

“Heh, you need to use your brain a bit even when collecting scrap.” Ye Dongping was in high spirits and even played a little mysterious.

“Dad, let me wipe you down.” Ye Tian didn’t care where the old books came from. He took a clean towel and started wiping the sweat from his father’s body.

“Ouch, that does sting a bit…”

Ye Dongping snatched the towel from his son’s hand. “I’ll do it myself. It’s been two years since I last pulled a Handcart, really not used to it anymore. Oh, by the way, Xiao Tian, these books cover grades one through three of junior high, and they’re still quite new. Later, I’ll use some old calendars to wrap covers for them. That’ll save your textbook fees for the next few years.”

Back in the 1980s, the same set of textbooks was often used for many years, and schools didn’t require every student to buy them. In families with many siblings, the older ones’ books would be passed down to the younger ones, so basically, only one person’s textbook fees needed to be paid.

“Uncle Ye, you went to a school, didn’t you?”

While the father and son were talking, Feng Kuang rummaged through the books on the Handcart. Besides textbooks, he found many student exercise books with different names on them. Only a school would have this many books.

Ye Dongping nodded. “Right, the very junior high where Xiao Tian will attend school. Today I only brought back a small portion. Feng Zi, you and I should go together tomorrow. I estimate we can haul another four or five Handcart loads…”

“Uncle Ye, you’re amazing, truly amazing. I went to that school several times, and they never wanted to sell the scrap to me. You go once and nail it. Incredible!”

After hearing Ye Dongping’s words, Feng Kuang gave a big thumbs-up. He wasn’t just flattering; he was genuinely impressed.

Everyone knew schools had lots of old books and scrap. Feng Kuang had long set his sights there and even sought help from Ye Tian’s future homeroom teacher.

The vice principal in charge of logistics was an old-fashioned man. Persuaded by the school teachers, he had initially agreed to sell to Feng Kuang. Who knew this kid was a bit too clever? He tried slipping two packs of good cigarettes to the old man, who immediately got angry and shooed Feng Kuang away with a wave.

Feng Kuang went back twice more, only to be chased out by the old man each time. He never expected Ye Dongping, on his very first day out collecting scrap, would solve this big problem. Feng Kuang admired him from the bottom of his heart.

“Amazing? I just got lucky.”

Feng Kuang’s words brought a bitter smile to Ye Dongping’s face. The experiences of the day had made him understand the truth of the saying “a scholar is useless in practical affairs.”

When Ye Dongping first left the house in the morning, he planned to go door-to-door collecting scrap. But after struggling for two hours, he just couldn’t bring himself to shout “Scrap collection!”

Later, Ye Dongping did manage to break through, but his voice was like a mosquito’s buzz, barely audible to anyone. So, by noon, he hadn’t collected much.

But you could say Ye Dongping’s luck was pretty good. At noon, while resting outside a school gate, he struck up a conversation with an old man directing a few people to change the school signboard. They hit it off quite well in conversation. That old man directly told Ye Dongping to pull his Handcart into the school.

Even though he collected this whole cart of old books, Ye Dongping still felt the hardship of life. The disdainful looks he endured that day caused a subtle shift in his mindset, though Ye Dongping himself hadn’t fully realized it yet.

Ye Tian brought the food to the table and called out, “Dad, Brother Fengzi, let’s eat. I cooked today…”

“My son is growing up.”

Although the dishes were simple—just stir-fried green peppers and pickled radish strips brought from the countryside—Ye Dongping still felt a deep sense of comfort.

Hardships in life aren’t always a bad thing. Ye Dongping believed that when his son grew up, he would adapt to society far better than those hothouse flowers.

Ye Dongping suddenly remembered something and looked at Ye Tian. “Oh, right. When I was outside today, I saw someone who looked a lot like your Master. But when I tried to catch up, the person was gone. I don’t know if my eyes were playing tricks on me.”

Though he only saw a side profile, Ye Dongping had known the Old Taoist for quite some years. He felt there was a high chance that person was Li Shanyuan. He just didn’t understand why the Old Taoist would pass by without coming in.

“My Master?” Ye Tian was momentarily stunned. “Impossible, right? Master is still up on the mountain. Why would he come to the County Town?”

“Maybe I saw wrong? But that Taoist really looked like him…” Ye Dongping shook his head. Too many things had happened these past few days. Could he be hallucinating?

Ye Dongping just mentioned it casually, but Ye Tian took it to heart. Deducing a person’s location and some simple fortunes wouldn’t cause Qi Backlash. Ye Tian silently recited his Master’s name in his heart and began to Deduce using the Divination Art.

“It really is Master…”

A short while later, an image of the Old Taoist’s current location formed in Ye Tian’s mind. He was indeed right here in the County Town. A wave of warmth rose in Ye Tian’s heart. It seemed his Master still cared about him.

But Ye Tian didn’t say anything about this. Since his Master chose not to come down the mountain with him, he must have his reasons. Ye Tian just needed to follow his own path. After all, if the sky fell, there would be taller people to hold it up.

After dinner, noticing the meaningful look Ye Tian gave him, Feng Kuang stood up and said, “Uncle Ye, you must be tired today. Rest early. I’ll take Ye Tian out for a walk. He’s been cooped up at home all day.”

“Alright. Don’t be out too late. Come back early.” Ye Dongping agreed. His son had behaved well today and deserved a little reward.

Taking the bag with the mirror from the Handcart in the yard, Feng Kuang and Ye Tian left the Recycling Station and headed straight for the southern part of the city.

Arriving outside the large compound, Feng Kuang waited outside as usual. Ye Tian alone, kicking small stones, blended into the compound. Of course, when entering, he politely called out “Hello, Uncle” to the guard at the gate.