My 1995 Small Farm.

Zhao Dahai said, "The Taoist robe is in the style of the Ming Dynasty, and the handle of the whisk is made of rhinoceros horn and engraved with cloud patterns."

"The most crucial thing is those few scrolls. The experts didn't dare to open them all on the spot. They only carefully unfolded the edge of one scroll to reveal the words inside. They said it was a handwritten copy of the Tao Te Ching, but the calligraphy was very exquisite, and it may be quite old."

"The other oilcloth bundles haven't been touched yet. We'll deal with them tomorrow when the sunlight is better."

Everyone listened with rapt attention.

A cenotaph, a Ming Dynasty Taoist robe, handwritten scriptures...

It sounds really exciting.

Chen Ling thought for a moment and said, "It seems that this Taoist temple is not simple. I will go to see Fourth Grandfather tomorrow and see if he can remember any more."

After dinner, Zhang Lihua stayed in a guest room at the farmhouse.

……

The next morning, everyone went to Donggang to see the ancient tomb.

Early in the morning, when the air is still misty, the Donggang Cemetery is already bustling with activity.

When Chen Ling arrived with his family, the survey team and archaeological team had already entered the site.

The so-called "cenotaph" that was opened last night.

That is, next to the black coffin.

A temporary waterproof shed was erected.

The experts were carefully removing the items from the coffin one by one.

Then record it carefully.

Wang Laishun and several township and county officials stood guard outside the crowd.

Seeing Chen Ling arrive, he quickly waved and said, "Fugui, come here quickly! The experts from the province are looking for you!"

An elderly expert with gray hair and glasses came forward; it was the same professor who had been in charge yesterday.

His surname is Zhou, and he works at the Provincial Institute of Archaeology.

"Mr. Chen, you've arrived."

Professor Zhou spoke politely, expressing the utmost respect and admiration for Chen Ling after hearing about his deeds.

He began, "You must have heard about the opening of the coffin last night."

"Our initial assessment is that this is a cenotaph of a Taoist priest from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties."

"The Taoist robe and whisk inside the coffin were well preserved, especially these few handwritten scriptures..."

He pointed to the workbench covered with a soft cloth next to him.

On the stage, several oilcloth bags were open.

The yellowed, thread-bound books inside were visible.

The top volume has the title "Qingxu Lingbao Tan Yi" on the cover.

The handwriting is simple, elegant, and vigorous.

“These scriptures are of great value, not only as Taoist documents, but also possibly as records of the history of Qingxu Temple, and even some local stories.”

Professor Zhou explained, "We would like to consult the elderly in the village, especially Mr. Chen Gannian, to see if he has heard of the relevant matter."

Chen Ling nodded: "Fourth Grandfather should be arriving soon. The old man wakes up early, and I've already sent someone to invite him."

Just then, Zhao Dahai helped Chen Gannian arrive.

My great-uncle is actually very healthy, but ever since he told stories yesterday...

Everyone showed great respect to the elderly.

"Fourth Grandfather, come and see these."

Chen Ling led the elderly man to the workbench.

Chen Gannian squinted and carefully examined the scriptures, as well as the Taoist robe and whisk he had taken out.

He gently touched the cuffs of the dark blue Taoist robe and murmured, "Yes, this is the material... coarse linen, dyed indigo, with a three-finger-wide blue trim on the cuffs... the robes worn on formal occasions at Qingxu Temple. I saw an old Taoist priest wear one when I was a child."

Professor Zhou immediately perked up: "Old man, please tell me in detail, what is the origin of this Taoist temple?"

Chen Gannian sat down on the stool that the staff brought over.

"That's a long story."

"When I was a child, probably eight or nine years old, I often came to the Taoist temple to play."

"Back then, Qingxu Temple still had incense offerings. There was only one old Taoist priest in the temple, surnamed Zhang. Everyone in the village called him Old Taoist Zhang."

“He has an apprentice named Chen Mingyi, who is from our village. According to seniority, he is my distant uncle.”

“Old Zhang is not a local; he speaks with a southern accent. Sometimes he tells me stories, saying that Qingxu Temple was originally located on a famous mountain in Jiangnan, where incense was very popular.”

"During the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, the area was attacked by Japanese pirates, the Taoist temple was burned down, and the abbot fled north with his disciples and scriptures, enduring many hardships along the way."

"Escape?"

Professor Zhou pressed further: "Do you remember the specific year? And what happened?"

Chen Gannian thought for a moment and said, "Old Taoist Zhang said it was around the 30th year of the Jiajing reign, when the Japanese pirates were at their most rampant. Originally, there were dozens of people in the temple, but only a dozen or so escaped, including the old and the young."

“They dared not take the official roads, but chose mountain paths, enduring wind and rain, and it took them more than half a year to get here.”

Everyone listened with rapt attention.

Chen Ling seemed to see a group of ragged Taoist priests protecting scriptures as they struggled to migrate north in the chaos of the world.

"By the time we got here, there were hardly any people left."

Chen Gannian sighed, "The abbot who led the group was old and fell ill on the way and did not survive. Among the remaining disciples, a Taoist priest surnamed Lu was the most virtuous and was chosen as the new abbot."

"They saw that the place was surrounded by mountains and water, with a quiet and secluded location, and far away from the ravages of war, so they decided to settle here and rebuild the Taoist temple."

Qin Rongxian exclaimed, "Descending the mountain in chaotic times to protect the scriptures and head north—this is the true spirit of Taoism!"

Professor Zhou listened intently, nodding repeatedly and taking quick notes: "This explains why Taoist temples have southern architectural styles. Old man, what happened later? How did the Taoist temples decline?"

Chen Gannian said, "Master Lu is capable. He led his disciples to reclaim wasteland and cultivate the land, and gradually built up the Taoist temple."

"At its peak, the temple had more than 20 Taoist priests and lay Buddhists, and also had dozens of acres of farmland at the foot of the mountain, which was self-sufficient."

“They not only practiced Buddhism, but also treated the villagers’ medical needs and taught children to read. They were highly respected in our area.”

"By the Qing Dynasty, the Taoist temple had been passed down for seven or eight generations, and its incense had never been cut off."

"But after the Xianfeng era, the world became unstable..."

“The Nian Rebellion and bandits caused trouble several times, and some valuables in the temple were looted, and some of the Taoist priests also left.”

"In addition, the harvest was bad, and the number of offerings at the foot of the mountain decreased, so the Taoist temple gradually fell into disrepair."

"The old Taoist priest I met when I was a child was the last one to be formally ordained. After his master died, only he and his disciple Chen Mingyi remained in the temple."

"After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Taoist temple completely lost its incense offerings, and the building fell into disrepair and gradually collapsed."

"Old Master Zhang probably passed away in the late 1950s, and nobody knows where he went."

"Chen Mingyi returned to the village after leaving the monastic life. He was my uncle, but he passed away a long time ago."

This is a history of the rise and fall of Taoist temples spanning four hundred years.

The audience was deeply moved.

It makes one lament the difficulty of preserving so much culture during a chaotic era.

It is a pity that a once thriving temple has been buried by weeds.

If the incense continues to burn brightly.

This place might become a tourist attraction too.

Professor Zhou closed his notebook and said solemnly, "Uncle Chen, the oral histories you provided are invaluable and have filled many gaps in our knowledge."

"The owner of this cenotaph is very likely the Abbot Lu who led his disciples to migrate north, or an important figure in a certain generation of Qingxu Temple."

Chen Gannian shook his head and smiled: "I'm just saying what I remember, as long as it's useful."

Just then, a commotion arose from the other side of the construction site.

A young staff member ran over: "Professor Zhou, there's been a discovery in the eastern excavation area!" Everyone perked up and followed Professor Zhou to the east.

That location, about thirty meters from the Taoist cenotaph, was another excavation site planned yesterday.

Several workers are carefully clearing the topsoil; they have already dug down more than a meter deep.

"Professor, look!"

A middle-aged researcher in charge of the excavation in the eastern area pointed to the bottom of the pit.

At the bottom of the pit, the remains of a rotten wooden box were visible.

The box was so badly damaged that only its outline remained, but inside there were some dark, muddy, lumpy objects scattered about.

The staff gently brushed away the loose soil, revealing a silvery-gray color beneath the lumps.

"It's silver!"

Someone whispered.

really.

As the cleaning process continued, seven or eight silver ingots of varying sizes gradually came into view.

The surface is oxidized and blackened, but the shape is still clearly visible.

In addition, several pieces of silver jewelry were severely oxidized and corroded.

Only one style remains.

A hairpin, a pair of bracelets, and several rings—simple in style, but solidly crafted.

“Treasure is buried to the east of the Taoist temple… The old saying has come true,” Wang Laishun murmured.

Chen Gannian walked closer and took a look, then nodded: "It's the style used by our older generation here. I feel like I've seen this hairpin somewhere before..."

"I wonder if it was worn by the eldest son's wife of the landlord Chen in our village!"

"I saw her wearing it when I was little. The woman was pretty, and we kids all liked to peek at it..."

"Her hairpin was a simple plum blossom, without many patterns, but it looked quite charming on someone's head."

"Before the landlord family fell into ruin, the jewelry worn by the women in the family was mostly like this."

"The Chen landlord's house?"

Professor Zhou has a good memory: "Is it the one you mentioned yesterday?"

"Correct."

Chen Gannian said, "The Chen family has been in our village for several generations. At their peak, they owned over a hundred acres of land, four or five mules, two horses, and about ten long-term and short-term laborers."

"But this family is kind and treats their tenants well, even reducing rent and lending grain during years of famine."

"His eldest daughter-in-law is a capable woman. It is said that these silver ornaments were part of her dowry."

"Then how did it end up buried here?" someone asked.

Chen Gannian said, "I don't know. But there's an old saying, 'Treasure is hidden east of the temple.' Maybe the landlord thought the east side of the Taoist temple was a blessed place, so he buried some important valuables there for peace of mind."

"Later, the world changed, and his family fell into ruin suddenly, so no one knew about these buried things."

Professor Zhou pondered: "If these are valuables buried by a landlord, the time period should be from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China. This is consistent with our preliminary judgment on the age of the soil layers."

"Xiao Liu, carefully record the coordinates and strata. Pack all the artifacts separately for further cleaning and testing later."

The staff immediately got to work.

"Wealth and honor".

At this moment, Chen Gannian suddenly pulled Chen Ling aside to a secluded spot and whispered, "There's something I didn't say in front of so many people."

Chen Ling quickly moved closer: "Fourth Grandfather, please speak."

Chen Gannian looked around and lowered his voice even further: "About the 'Chen' in our Chenwangzhuang village."

"Ok?"

"The Chen family in our village is actually divided into two branches."

Chen Gannian slowly said, "One branch is the old Chen family that originally lived here. Their ancestors are said to have migrated from the Big Locust Tree in Shanxi during the Ming Dynasty. They were not very numerous, and by my grandfather's generation, there were only a few households left."

"The other branch is the Chen family, which is now the majority of the villagers, including your family and ours... Our ancestors were refugees taken in by Qingxu Temple, and their secular surname was Chen."

Chen Ling was taken aback: "A disciple taken in by a Taoist priest?"

"Correct."

Chen Gannian nodded: "Old Zhang told me that when Master Lu of Qingxu Temple was migrating north, he encountered a group of refugees fleeing famine in the Central Plains. Among them was a boy of about ten years old, surnamed Chen. His parents had both starved to death, leaving him all alone."

“When Master Lu saw that he was clever and knew a few words, he took him in as a lay disciple, brought him back to the Taoist temple, and gave him the Taoist name ‘Mingxin’, but allowed him to keep his original surname.”

"This Chen Mingxin is the ancestor of our Chen family branch."

“He grew up in the Taoist temple, learned to read and write, and also helped manage the temple’s fields. Later, he returned to secular life, cleared land near the temple, settled down, married, and had children.”

"Because he was an upright man, and also knew medicine and was literate, he gradually gathered some fellow clansmen who had fled from the area, forming the main body of the Chen surname in Chenwangzhuang today."

Chen Ling suddenly realized: "So our branch of Chen is actually descended from Taoist temple disciples, and is not the same as the original Chen family in the village?"

"They're not related to that landlord Chen either..."

"You could say that."

Chen Gannian said, "However, after hundreds of years of intermarriage, they have long been mixed together and cannot be distinguished. Only the older generation still knows this origin."

"I'm saying this to let you know that our ancestors came from humble beginnings, not from landlords, and we must not forget our roots."

"Fourth Grandfather, why haven't you mentioned these things before?" Chen Ling asked.

Chen Gannian smiled wryly: "Back then, I wasn't thinking straight either. Besides, it's a new era now, and I feel that there's no point in bringing up these old stories. If it weren't for the things from the Taoist temple that were unearthed this time, I probably would have taken them to my grave."

Chen Ling thought to himself that if his fourth grandfather hadn't said anything, he would have really mistaken him for a descendant of a landlord.

He had previously wondered why people with the same surname Chen, from the same family, would work as day laborers for landlords.

He neither experienced it nor shared it.

As they were talking, Professor Zhou made another new discovery.

Continue digging pits east of the Taoist temple ruins.

Workers unearthed a fragment of a bluestone tablet.

The stele is broken, with only the upper half remaining, but the characters carved on it are still legible.

Professor Zhou had someone carefully rinse the surface of the monument with water, and the crowd gathered around.

The inscription is written in vertical regular script, and although it is slightly mottled, the general meaning is still readable:

"...Abbot Mingxin Chen of Qingxu Temple... was born in a certain year of the Wanli era... suffered hardship in his youth and was taken in by his late teacher, Master Lu, who taught him literature and medicine... As he grew up, he returned to secular life, established a business, reclaimed wasteland, built houses, and was filial and friendly... His descendants multiplied and all adhered to the righteous path... This stone is erected to commemorate him..."

"Master Chen, the Man of Enlightenment!"

Professor Zhou exclaimed excitedly, "This is the Chen Mingxin you were talking about! The inscription confirms his existence and his connection with Qingxu Temple!"

Chen Gannian was also very excited. He wiped away his tears, stepped forward and bowed: "Ancestor Mingxin... We, the younger generation, have finally heard your name again..."

Chen Ling didn't quite understand this feeling, so he didn't feel it deeply.

But then I thought...

He imagined that he had a hidden paradise, and that if he lived many years later, his name would be seen by future generations.

I feel sorry for myself.

He'll probably be very touched.

Wang Laishun is a qualified village party secretary.

Even if his surname is Wang.

He quickly said to Professor Zhou, "Professor Zhou, could you make a rubbing of this stele for our village? I want the children in the village to see it and know how the character 'Chen' in our Chenwangzhuang came about."

Professor Zhou nodded solemnly: "Of course. This is not only an archaeological discovery, but also a historical memory of your village. We will make rubbings, and after the original is cleaned and studied, we can also consider setting up a display room in the village to let the cultural relics return home."

"Great!"

Wang Laishun said excitedly, "Our village primary school has just been built, and we really need these kinds of local teaching materials! Let the children know that Chenwangzhuang is not some random village without roots; our ancestors have a history and stories!" (End of this chapter)