Song Tan's Notes

The Taoist temple's area is not particularly large.

The place was teeming with people, and the courtyards and halls were nested one inside another. No matter which door you passed through, you could hear worshippers praising it with lingering relish and expressing their regret.

Song Tan felt a surge of happiness, and the corners of her lips curled up in a smile:
The people at this Taoist temple are all quite discerning; they know that good things are never cheap and are hard to come by.

When they first set up a stall in the city, they sold their wares for 20 yuan per jin (500g), and there were often people grumbling and picking and choosing.

Lu Chuan also laughed and said, "That's because you didn't plan to register a brand and do dedicated brand marketing. Otherwise, people would know the price expectations as soon as you mention the brand."

Actually, there is a small-scale brand building effect.

For example, when the two bosses, Zhao and Qian, first bought some peaches to sell, they were building up the reputation of Yunqiao Fairy Peach.

Later, Qiaoqiao sold her products online, which drew criticism from online influencer Xiao Jiang, who questioned whether they were genuine.

From then on, Song Tan realized that it was an undeniable fact that their products were of high quality, and they had made a lot of money.

Establishing a brand there doesn't add any advantage; instead, it's like setting up a target, attracting everyone to step on it and see how it fares.

Just then, the generous and magnanimous Boss Chang stepped in.

What else is there to say?
She just wanted to farm and sell vegetables; she had no intention of building a Fortune 500 company, let alone going public.

Keep some goods in each of the several channels so that no matter which channel has a problem, it won't affect the final sales. That's fine.

Looking back now, planting, harvesting, and selling are just these three key steps—how convenient!

That is indeed true.

Lu Chuan nodded: "Besides, no one in our family is good at managing such a big business."

I'd rather ask someone else; there are so many good things, but I don't trust them.

If we don't invite them, my family will probably be learning how to navigate the world every day.

Wouldn't that mean I went back to my hometown for nothing?

I came back because I didn't want to be treated like a beast of burden.

If Lu Chuan, who has been writing books for so many years, were truly passionate about this approach, his personal brand would have been widely promoted long ago, independent of the website. So why is he still writing steadily on the website?
It's obvious.

The two chatted as they strolled leisurely through the Taoist temple.

Large incense burners were everywhere, and the young Taoist priest who had led them yesterday was running around carrying a bucket, his head covered in sweat.

Song Tan couldn't help but be curious, and reached out to stop him again: "Daoist Master, is this job done on a rotating basis?"

The young Taoist priest nodded, then suddenly his face froze. He picked up the bucket and ran away quickly, his rapid-fire monologue still lingering in the air:
"Thank you for the local specialty you sent. It was delicious, and everyone in our Taoist temple loved it. Master Qingyun especially loved it. However, I have to go now."

After babbling a long string of words, the person quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Song Tan's outstretched hand remained suspended in mid-air, but after a moment, she exclaimed "Eh~", quickly shook her hand, and silently withdrew it.

At the same time, a passerby sniffed and asked:

Why does something smell bad?

"I didn't smell anything, it's all the smell of incense, you're not mistaken, are you?"

"I smelled it too, it smells like someone farted."

The speaker looked around again, and saw people coming and going from all directions, just like being squeezed into an elevator. The culprit was nowhere to be found.

"Never mind, never mind." The person who spoke took two quick steps forward. "After taking two steps, the smell won't be so bad."

The young Taoist priest, having successfully released his pent-up energy once more, ran far away before taking a deep breath. He silently gathered up the incense ash again, rejoicing as he said:
Luckily, I managed to switch to this hectic job today. Otherwise, if I were standing there helping the Taoist priest greet guests and then farted, wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?
The Taoist priest's image is being ruined.

After saying that, he felt a little annoyed: "The braised pig's trotters with soybeans yesterday were so delicious!"
The pig's trotters were quickly devoured, but he also scooped up two large spoonfuls of soybeans soaked in the thick broth, which were incredibly delicious when mixed with rice.

If I had known I would be in this predicament today, I should have eaten half a spoonful less yesterday!
Yes, only half a spoonful less, no more.

But the more he thought about it, the more unwilling he became. Taking advantage of the break after emptying the incense ash, he went to Master Qingyun's door again.

After Master Qingyun finished exchanging words with the believers, he was about to slip away when the young Taoist priest immediately stepped forward to meet him.
"Master, all enlightened masters need a gentle breeze and bright moon as their attendants. Do you think it would be appropriate for you to take me with you when you go out to cultivate?"

Master Qingyun:
If that's the case, when he's pointing out the landscape and making hand gestures, wouldn't it be more impressive to have a pageboy doing something beside him?

But what should we do?

Master Qingyun hasn't decided yet.

Master Qingyun was a very down-to-earth Taoist priest. Since he hadn't decided yet, when Song Tan and the others saw him again, he warmly ordered tea to be poured while asking:

"Two devout believers, when I examine the feng shui of our land, do you think I need to bring a Taoist acolyte to gather the spiritual energy?"

Song Tan:
She was naturally happy that the Taoist priest wasn't pretending.

But isn't this just too unpretentious?

Why don't you just ask?
We live in a new society now, let's not dwell on those traditional, traditional matters.

But then again, the Taoist priest was in front, holding a compass in his left hand and making hand gestures with his right, talking about finding the dragon vein, dividing the gold, and looking at the winding mountains... Bah! That's not how you look at residential feng shui.

In short, he struck this pose of otherworldly elegance, with the young Taoist priest beside him, dressed in a simple gray robe, quietly waiting with his whisk in hand...

Master Qingyun then asked, "Do you think this would be very prestigious?"

"People from your area should trust you a lot, right? You shouldn't have any trouble selling the houses you build."

Song Tan: ...Originally, she wasn't worried about selling her house; she just wanted to reassure everyone by hiring someone.

Anyway, it's something everyone's been looking forward to, and the cost will have to be increased by ten yuan per square meter!

But you know what, just thinking about it...

She felt a little annoyed; why couldn't she have this kind of prestige?

Then look at the young Taoist priest with his big, blinking eyes, and the Taoist priest Qingyun, who speaks in a particularly down-to-earth manner.

The fact that the other party's immortal aura has remained undiminished for so many years is largely due to the efforts of the entire Taoist temple, including this young Taoist priest.
Since that's the case, she exchanged a glance with Lu Chuan and also warmly invited him:

"We would be most pleased if this Taoist priest were to accompany us. Would you like a family suite arranged for the two of you?"

"Yes, yes," Master Qingyun quickly replied. "I'm a bit careless, so sometimes I need Wuwei to keep an eye on things for me." Oh, I see, this is Master Wuwei.

In short, Master Qingyun took a sip of the fragrant tea and then looked at the two of them eagerly: "Have you bought the tickets? Would it be convenient to add another seat for Wuwei?"

...

Once everything was ready, and just as the Taoist priest was about to go back to get his luggage, Master Wuwei said again:
"Please have a seat, everyone. I need to inform the logistics department about Master Qingyun's temporary travel."

Song Tan nodded. She had already boasted to her family that she would let the Taoist priest stay there for a while, and then say a few comforting words to Qiao Qiao, which would make her family even happier.

Now that I've taken a long leave, I naturally have to report it.

Then Master Wuwei said, "Master, I'll ask the official website to post your travel information right away—can it be tentatively for half a month? We'll come back around the fifteenth."

"Alright, alright!" Master Qingyun readily agreed, "I'll try my best not to delay the ritual of worshipping the Dipper on the fifteenth."

Song Tan let out a silent "whoa!"

In short, the trip went smoothly and they managed to invite the people. So when lunch, which they hadn't been eating, started, they sighed as they thought about how different yesterday and today were. They quickly filled their stomachs and then couldn't wait to pack their bags and set off.

How do we get started?
Now that the rush hour on the road has passed, Master Wuwei rolled down his car window to greet them, speaking casually:
"I forgot that vehicles with license plates ending in 2 or 7 are restricted today. I'll go change my car now. Please wait a moment."

Song Tan: ...

This car is the same price as Lu Chuan's car!
So, if she hadn't nurtured that jade pendant with her spiritual energy, it would have been quite embarrassing to take it out.

But Song Tan thought to herself: It's not a big deal if I can't invite anyone. After all, it's land in the county town, not land I built to make money.

If it really costs a lot of money, then that won't work.

But then again, given Master Qingyun's enthusiasm, there shouldn't be any need to discuss compensation later, right?

Bringing Master Wuwei along is a good idea. Once we get to the village and assess the situation, we can subtly inquire further and be on the safe side!
And so, after a long and winding journey, they finally arrived in Yuncheng. Just as Lu Chuan went to the garage to drive his car out, Song Tan's phone rang:

"Tan Tan, has the master returned yet? Ask him if he eats other fish. If so, make a pot of braised crucian carp; the roe is plentiful and fresh this season."

Before the words were even finished, Master Qingyun and Master Wuwei, who were seated in the back row, nodded repeatedly, their eyes burning with admiration, as if they wanted to see right through the phone.

"Eat up! This old Taoist priest eats everything except for four things I don't eat!"

"Master!" Master Wuwei became anxious, trying to raise his voice to lower his tone, "We cultivators have a light diet, we are not picky eaters, we eat everything."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Song Tan didn't turn on the speakerphone, so Wulan could only hear two voices talking incoherently.

She finally hung up the phone: "Seventh Uncle, you'd better dress up tonight. I heard that Taoist priest has a really loud voice. Think about it, someone his age still has such a loud voice, he must be in great health and have achieved something in his cultivation."

Seventh Uncle nodded reservedly.

He thought to himself: At this age, it wouldn't be too much to ask to learn the ways of health and longevity from the Taoist priest, would it?

In the past, birth, aging, sickness, and death were unavoidable; getting old simply meant getting old.

But nowadays, I eat delicious food every day, and I feel great when I wander around after eating. I haven't even finished learning my own cooking skills yet, so why am I in such a hurry to meet the King of Hell?

He should have lived many more years!
After hanging up the phone, Ulan happily sent a message to the village group chat:

My daughter went to Beijing with Xiao Lu and pulled a lot of strings to finally get the Taoist priest to come! He's a highly accomplished master, so please don't make a fuss about him when you meet him!

Goodness, everyone's been itching to hear this for the past few days.

Even before the person arrived, all sorts of firework-themed emojis were already circulating in the group chat, all conveying the same message:
Do fortune tellers know how to tell fortunes? How can I get them to take a look too?
While Song Tan sat in the car scrolling through the village group chat, she raised her hand to notify the employees' group as well. Seeing the cheers and anticipation in the chat, she turned to the two Taoist priests and asked:

"When we go to a feng shui consultation, if a lot of people follow us, will it have a negative impact?"

Master Qingyun frowned slightly:

"When I'm doing a feng shui consultation, as long as they don't make a racket or deliberately interfere with my process, the number of people is irrelevant. It's just that..."

He looked at Song Tan with some curiosity, "Is the believer so confident? If the location you chose is not good, and I, the old Taoist, point it out in public, it may be very detrimental to your future business."

Song Tan smiled slightly and said, "The place I choose can't be bad."

Not to mention that before leaving, he made sure to distribute the new beads evenly in the designated area, and then practiced for a while longer.

If Master Qingyun were to discover something amiss with this place, it's hard to say who would ultimately suffer the consequences.

Master Qingyun nodded, his hand involuntarily touching the lotus pendant on his robe again. From rubbing it so many times, the newly hung tassels were no longer so smooth.
“If believers have such abilities, then those who are interested in this matter are welcome to come.”

The two were discussing something very seriously, with only Daoist Wuwei listening silently. He couldn't help but glance sideways at Daoist Qingyun again:
"Master, there are so many people, and some might be filming. Please be careful not to say anything you shouldn't."

“We are, after all, truly enlightened masters. If this is spread online and people interpret it, it will be very inconsistent with the policy.”

"I know, I know." Master Qingyun seemed to have been understood, and at this moment he behaved very obediently.

Meanwhile, Master Wuwei instructed:
"It's fine if people come along, but we hope that believers will try to restrain themselves and not take videos and upload them. Otherwise, since this is a feng shui consultation, if someone makes a few random remarks, someone will have a reason to nitpick and report it, which will be very troublesome for us to handle."

They are practicing Taoism, seeking tranquility and non-action, but no one can slander them by saying they are indifferent to their duties.

So Taoist temples actually have legal departments too.

Song Tan certainly knew this.

She also said seriously, "Don't worry, I will have security guards accompany us that day, and no one is allowed to take out their phone to listen to the master's comments."

With those security guards' sharp eyes, I don't believe there could be any fish that slipped through the net.

Master Qingyun also suddenly slumped his shoulders, completely relaxing.

Then he stroked his beard, and suddenly his expression changed: "Oh no! Wuwei!"

The young Taoist priest's heart skipped a beat!
"I forgot to bring my beard oil, the kind I use to groom long beards. Is it easy to buy in the city center?"

Master Wuwei: ...

His tense back slowly slumped back into place, and he sighed.
"It's alright, Master. Think about what else you need, and I'll buy it for you on Dongdong tonight. Once the items arrive, we can take care of things and then look at the feng shui, that's fine too."

He paused, then looked at Song Tan helplessly: "Will it work?"

What else could Song Tan say?
Lu Chuan then spoke up: "Master, you've come a long way and must have had a long journey; you should have rested for a couple of days." (End of Chapter)