Chapter 26: Wash Your Hands Before Eating

The animals scattered in every direction to get busy. Xiao Cong followed the bees to collect honey.

Little Temple Master Yunshan lay on the grass. The little rabbits formed a circle around him, enclosing him in the middle to protect him.

The sticky honey was hard to carry. Xiao Cong dipped a finger in and licked it, then waved at the bees. “This won’t work. I can’t take it like this. I’ll bring a jar tomorrow.”

A string of loud farts rang out.

The little rabbits immediately jumped away. “Little Temple Master’s fart stinks so bad!”

Xiao Cong ran over, lifted the diaper for a look, and sure enough, Temple Master Yunshan had pooped. He took a clean diaper from inside his clothes, knelt on the grass, and skillfully changed Yunshan’s diaper.

The little rabbits who had jumped away hopped back and gathered around.

When Yunshan’s two short little legs were lifted, he gave an “ah.”

Xiao Cong stopped what he was doing and observed him carefully. After confirming that Little Temple Master was not uncomfortable, he used the diaper he had removed to wipe Yunshan’s bottom, then casually tossed the dirty diaper into the stream.

He instructed the little rabbits, “Don’t let any other demons take the diaper away. I’ll come up the mountain tomorrow to get it.”

The little rabbits nodded in agreement.

The dirty diaper sank to the bottom of the water and slowly drifted downstream with the current.

Xiao Cong shouldered the basket and carried Yunshan down the mountain. When he reached halfway down, Xiao Cong raised his voice and shouted, “Tuo Tuo, we’re going down the mountain.”

Not far away, a small mound bulged up from the muddy ground, and a fair, tender little ginseng spirit crawled out of it. He quickly shook the dirt off his body and ran happily toward Xiao Cong. “I’ll carry Yunshan. Let’s go down the mountain.”

The water buffalo stood beside the path, swishing its tail as it leisurely ate grass.

Qiu Sheng saw that only the three little ones, Xiao Cong, Tuo Tuo, and Yunshan, had returned. He looked behind them again, but there was no sign of Xi Jue or Dou Ming at all.

He frowned and called Xiao Cong to a stop. “You two little children mustn’t run around recklessly on the mountain. If a wolf snatches you away, we won’t be able to find you.”

Tuo Tuo said cheerfully, “Don’t worry, Uncle Qiu Sheng. We were just playing near the edge of the mountain. Xiao Cong picked lots of peaches today.”

Tuo Tuo removed the flower wreath sitting on top of the basket. Only then did Qiu Sheng see that Xiao Cong was carrying a whole basket full of peaches.

He hurried over and helped Xiao Cong take the basket off. When he lifted it, the basket and peaches together had to weigh twenty pounds. Xiao Cong had carried this entire basket of peaches all the way back from the mountain?

Qiu Sheng did not know whether to laugh or cry. He patted Xiao Cong on the head and asked, “Aren’t you tired from carrying so many peaches? Careful you don’t bend your back under all that weight. Uncle Qiu Sheng will carry it home for you.”

Xiao Cong wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled with his lips pressed together. “I’m not tired.”

“Hurry on back. Xiu Niang made big buns this morning. They should be ready by now.”

When the two little ones heard there was fresh food, they ran home one after the other.

Qiu Sheng went to lead the buffalo and shouted from behind, “Slow down, slow down. Don’t drop Yunshan.”

Tuo Tuo’s voice floated back from ahead. “Got it.”

But the speed at which he ran did not slow in the slightest.

As soon as they reached the courtyard gate, Tuo Tuo and Xiao Cong smelled a fragrant aroma, mixed with the scent of greens.

On the table beneath the tree, two basins of large buns were steaming hot.

After placing Yunshan into the cradle, Tuo Tuo reached out to grab a bun, only for Hua Qi to smack his hand away hard. He said fiercely, “Go wash your hands.”

Xiao Cong, who had been standing nearby and had not had time to reach out, consciously ran to the corner by himself. Tuo Tuo curled his lip and followed him. The two little demons washed their hands carefully in the basin, only then returning to the table.

Xiu Niang picked out the buns from the previous batch underneath and gave Tuo Tuo and Xiao Cong one each. The buns had already been left to cool for a while. They were warm, just right to eat. Each of them held a bun and sat beside Yunshan, eating with great relish.

Yunshan opened his big eyes and moved his mouth along with Tuo Tuo and Xiao Cong. What they were eating was buns. What he was chewing was air. Yet he still looked quite pleased with himself.

Qiu Sheng tied the buffalo in the corner and walked to the table, wanting to take a bun. Xiu Niang lightly smacked his arm and scolded him fondly. “Go wash your hands. Tuo Tuo doesn’t know he should wash his hands before eating, but you’re a grown man and you don’t know either?”

Qiu Sheng laughed sheepishly and squatted down by the corner.

Tuo Tuo clutched his bun and snickered. So he was not the only one who got hit for not washing his hands.

After Xiao Cong had finished two buns, Xi Jue and Dou Ming returned from the mountain. Dou Ming carried back a wild boar and rudely threw it onto the ground. He grinned at Xiu Niang and said, “Xiu Niang, let’s eat meat dumplings today.”

Xiu Niang walked over and glanced at the wild boar. “We’re not eating dumplings today. I’ll make meat flatbread for you. Tonight, we’ll eat meat buns.”

“That works too.”

Whatever. Dou Ming felt that as long as there was meat, it was fine. When he saw there was food on the table, he got ready to reach out. At that moment, Xiao Cong tugged at his clothes and whispered, “Dou Ming, wash your hands. Otherwise, you’ll get hit. Uncle Qiu Sheng and Tuo Tuo both got hit.”

Dou Ming found the basin, dipped his hands into it, quickly straightened up, shook his hands, casually patted them against his clothes, and only then returned to the table to pick up a bun.

“Are you selling pork today?”

Before long, a person came into the courtyard. He had seen Dou Ming carrying something down the mountain and had come over to ask.

“We’re not selling any,” Xiao Cong stood up and said. “Today we’re going to town to sell meat.”

Yesterday, he and Dou Ming had already agreed to go to town today to sell meat, and sell peaches along the way.

After chatting idly for a few sentences, the man left regretfully.

After they had eaten more than half a basin of buns, Chun Hua finished clearing the table. Dou Ming found the large chopping board and, with a knife in hand, easily chopped off one front leg and one hind leg from the pig.

Xiu Niang said to Hua Qi, “Today, I want to cut off two pounds of meat and take it back to my parents’ home.”

“Then cut some,” Hua Qi said unconcernedly. “Xiu Niang, in the future, don’t bother telling me when you want to cut meat. Just take it yourself.”

He directed Dou Ming to cut off a piece of meat and set it to one side, then said to Xiu Niang, “Take this piece.”

Xiu Niang could tell at a glance that this piece of meat was more than two pounds, nearly three pounds. At first, she had thought that Xi Jue’s family was living in their home because they were pitiful. Now, looking at it, it was clearly she and Qiu Sheng who had gotten the huge bargain.

Today, Qiu Sheng had only borrowed an ox cart, not an ox. He hitched the ox cart to the water buffalo and jumped up into the cart himself, feeling so delighted inside he could hardly say it. He thought that once he came back from town, he had to hurry and make a cart. From now on, when they went to town, they would no longer need to borrow someone else’s ox cart. Their own family would have one.

The water buffalo shifted its front hooves uneasily and slowly took a few steps forward. Qiu Sheng hurriedly pulled on the rope and made the buffalo stop.

Knowing that Xiao Cong was going to town to sell the flower wreaths, Xiu Niang sprinkled some water on them and also carried an extra half bucket of water onto the cart. She instructed Xiao Cong, “Remember to sprinkle water on the flowers later. Don’t let them wilt. No one wants to buy wilted flowers.”

Xiao Cong nodded his head, climbed onto the ox cart, and sat down next to Dou Ming.

“Tuo Tuo, why aren’t you going to learn weaving?” Hua Qi asked the little ginseng spirit, who had been standing watch beside Yunshan’s cradle the whole time.

“I’ll go learn this afternoon.”

He had to wait until Xiao Cong came back. Only then would he leave Temple Master Yunshan.

“Tsk.”

Hua Qi took a small stool and sat beside Tuo Tuo, then quietly pumped him for information. “What has Hong Shan been doing on the mountain lately?”

“I don’t know.”

These last few times Tuo Tuo had gone up the mountain, he had not seen Hong Shan.

Hua Qi continued asking, “Did he say anything to you? About Temple Master Yunshan?”

Tuo Tuo looked at Hua Qi in confusion. “Is something wrong with Temple Master Yunshan? Hong Shan didn’t say anything.”

“Oh.”

Hua Qi gave Tuo Tuo a meaningful look. He had not expected this little ginseng spirit to be so tight-lipped.

Xiu Niang tucked away the dough she planned to use for making meat flatbread at noon, then held Chun Hua and fed her.

Chun Hua was drinking milk when she fell asleep with her little mouth open. Xiu Niang placed her into the cradle so she could sleep under the tree together with Yunshan. She estimated that Chun Hua would not wake up for at least two hours.

Taking advantage of this time, Xiu Niang quickly packed her things, slung a basket over her arm, and quietly gave instructions to Hua Qi, who was sitting beside the cradles. “Huaniang, I’m going back to my parents’ home. Help me watch Chun Hua. I’ll be back soon.”

“Go on, go on.”

After Xiu Niang left, Hua Qi stood up and said to Tuo Tuo, “Watch Chun Hua. I’m going up the mountain for a look around.”

Tuo Tuo raised his head and glanced at Hua Qi, then quickly lowered his head again and gave an “oh.”

Not long after Hua Qi left, Tuo Tuo dragged both cradles out beneath the tree outside the courtyard. As he watched the children at the entrance play games, he also watched Chun Hua and Yunshan.

Shuanzi wiped his snot and trotted over to Tuo Tuo. First, he craned his head to look at Yunshan and Chun Hua. Then he straightened up and asked Tuo Tuo, “Why aren’t you playing? Your little brother’s asleep. Come play with us.”

Tuo Tuo shook his head. “You all play. I have to watch the two of them.”

“What’s there to watch when little kids are asleep? They’ll cry when they wake up. If we play here, we can hear them.”

Shuanzi pulled Tuo Tuo’s hand, but Tuo Tuo flung him off with force, then wiped his hand on the tree beside him in disgust. He had just seen Shuanzi wipe his nose with that very hand.

“I’m not going to play. I really have to watch the two of them. I’ll just sit here and watch you all play.”

“Fine, then.”

Shuanzi stopped trying to persuade him and ran off by himself.

Hua Qi walked cheerfully onto the mountain path. He had not gone back up the mountain to have a look in many days.

When a little sparrow saw Hua Qi return, it beat its wings and flew hard toward the mountain peak, chirping all along the way. “Hua Qi is back! Hua Qi is back!”

When the animals on the mountain heard the news, they immediately fled back to their own dens, all thinking to avoid this plague god.

As he passed by the stream, Hua Qi saw the familiar diaper pressed beneath a rock at the bottom of the water. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He fished up the diaper and scrubbed it clean without the slightest disgust.

Lately, under Xiu Niang’s watchful supervision, he could already accept washing Yunshan’s soaked diapers. Xiu Niang said a mother could not dislike her own child. He wondered whether, after Yunshan grew up, he would still be willing to acknowledge a male snake as his mother.

After casually hanging the wrung-out diaper on a tree branch to dry, Hua Qi transformed into a black snake and swiftly slithered to Yunling Temple.

Incense burned all year round in Yunling Temple. There was always a faint woody fragrance there. Ever since he had arrived at Yunling Mountain, that fragrance had never changed.

As he slithered up to the wooden door of Yunling Temple, the woody scent grew stronger and stronger. He had not expected Hong Shan, a demon, to still remember to burn incense.

The wooden door was still in the same long-disrepair state. Hua Qi flicked his snake tongue with a hiss and slithered into the courtyard.

He did not dare enter the main hall, only looking inside from the doorway a few times. It was clean everywhere inside, just as it had been when Ling Yin and the few young disciples were still there. The divine statue in the hall had kind brows and pleasant eyes, its gaze looking gently toward him. Hua Qi turned away uncomfortably. He looked through the rooms one by one, and every one of them was clean and tidy. Firewood was also stacked neatly in the courtyard, as if someone really did live in the Daoist temple.

He slithered out of the Daoist temple and came face-to-face with Hong Shan, who was leaning on a carved wooden staff.

Hua Qi raised the upper half of his body like a person and said distantly, “Hong Shan, Yunling Temple has been very well cared for by you.”

“I heard that you have also been taking very good care of Little Temple Master,” Hong Shan said with a smiling expression.

Hua Qi turned his head away. What was so difficult about taking care of a human cub?

Hong Shan said, “I heard from Xi Jue that the bricks and tiles have already been bought. Are you about to start building the house?”

“The tiles will arrive the day after tomorrow. As for the bricks, we can only go haul them once enough money has been gathered.”

Hua Qi briefly explained the situation, but did not mention lending money to Xiu Niang’s family.

“Are there little spirits taking care of the Daoist temple?”

Hong Shan explained, “The little spirits transform into young Daoist attendants and come over every day to clean. If any common folk come up the mountain, they help receive them as well.”

That explained it. When Xiu Niang had mentioned Yunling Temple before, she had not spoken of anything unusual about Yunling Temple. That showed that when the villagers came, there were Daoists in Yunling Temple.

After chatting for a few more sentences, Hua Qi went straight to the rear mountain and hunted a wild rabbit for himself. Recently, he had been eating cooked food all the time. Once in a while, he still missed the taste of eating raw meat directly.

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