Cultivating Immortality Starts with Rubbing a Computer

Chapter 17: Noble and humble
Monks also celebrate the New Year.

For the monks of the Dahe Sect, the New Year is a rare time for rest. If they can avoid working, they will not work. Why would they come all the way to Beixin Town?
Fang Qicheng frowned, thinking to himself, "Why are we coming here at this hour? Could something have happened? If we were rushing here urgently for Fang Jun, we should have come more than half a year ago. It's impossible for us to wait until now."

"Well, no matter what, we have to prepare to welcome them quickly. The envoys from the Dahe Sect are not people our Fang family can neglect."

Thinking of this, Fang Qicheng quickly arranged for someone else to preside over the awakening ceremony on his behalf. He then sent someone to find Fang Jun and inform him to come out of seclusion. He then hurried to the city gate with several elders to welcome the envoy from the Dahe Sect.

……

Snowflakes are falling and the cold wind is blowing.

"Mom, can we sell out all the goods today?" the child rubbed his red, frozen hands and asked with his face raised.

The mother, with a bamboo basket hanging from her shoulder, tightened her tattered cotton jacket, smiled and patted her son's head: "Yes, definitely. We're getting ready for the New Year, and the wealthy families in Beixin Town will buy more vegetables."

"And since Master Fang Jun became the head of the Fang family half a year ago, we small vendors no longer have to pay stall taxes, nor do we have to worry about Second Miss Fang doing anything bad. There's no such thing as 'cleaning fees' anymore."

"We can also make more money during the Spring Festival this year."

The child nodded, his eyes gleaming with anticipation: "Then can we buy some meat and eat it back home?"

The mother's heart ached, and she forced a smile and said, "Yes, after we sell all the vegetables, I will take you to buy some meat, and we can have a prosperous New Year too."

The mother and son walked to the place where they usually set up their stalls and found that many vendors had already occupied their spots.

Old Zhang, the tofu seller, greeted with a smile, "Mrs. Tian, ​​you're here early today too!"

"No one comes as early as you. I just have to set up the stall before dawn, otherwise it will be too late if there are too many people." Mrs. Tian responded while setting up the stall neatly.

The young children also put the basket of eggs in the bamboo basket aside and helped their mother arrange the vegetables into bundles.

He looked up and around, and found that the streets were decorated with lights and were much more lively than usual.

"Fresh vegetables, just picked from the fields!"

"Pickled vegetables, homemade pickled vegetables, very delicious with rice!"

"Eggs, eggs, eggs I just picked up this morning!"

The child, hearing these calls, felt itchy and imitated his mother, shouting at the top of his voice: "Vegetables, pickles, eggs, cheap!"

Soon, a crowd gathered in front of the stall. A woman in a silk dress picked up a bunch of vegetables, looked at them carefully, and asked, "How much are these vegetables?"

Mrs. Tian smiled and replied, "Three cents a bunch. If you buy more, it will be cheaper."

The woman nodded, picked up a few handfuls of greens, and looked at the pickles: "How much are these pickles?"

"Pickled vegetables are five cents a pound. Try them, they are delicious." Mrs. Tian said as she broke off a small piece of pickled vegetables and handed it to the woman.

The woman tasted it and nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, give me two pounds."

The child quickly helped to weigh the eggs, then deftly packed the pickles and handed them to the woman. The woman paid and looked at the eggs again: "How much are the eggs?"

Mrs. Tian said, "Eggs are two cents each. If you buy ten, I'll give you one for free."

The woman smiled and bought ten eggs. As expected, Mrs. Tian gave her an extra one. The woman left satisfied. Mrs. Tian looked at the copper coins in her hand and smiled from ear to ear. "Mom, we sold so fast today!" the child said excitedly.

Mrs. Tian was also filled with excitement: "Yes, it sold really quickly. And without the tax, this is real income. Thank you, Master Fang."

By noon, the mother and son had sold most of their vegetables. Mrs. Tian counted the copper coins and smiled contentedly, "Awen, you made a lot of money today. Mommy will take you to buy some meat so we can make dumplings!"

Ah Wen's eyes lit up: "Really? Mom, how much meat can we buy?"

Mrs. Tian smiled and pinched her son's face: "Buy a pound of meat and some white flour, and we'll make as much as we want!"

"How much is a pound of green vegetables?"

A white, clean, slender hand picked up the last handful of vegetables.

Seeing this, Ah Wen immediately imitated his mother and said, "Three cents a bunch. If you buy more, it will be cheaper."

Fang Jun picked up the greens, tossed them casually in the air, and weighed them twice. "How can I buy more? There's only a handful left. By the way, can you make it cheaper? Two cents. Once you've sold them, hurry home for the New Year."

The child looked troubled and scratched his head: "It's hard to change the price, it's difficult to go up or down."

Seeing this, Madam Tian quickly took the green vegetables from Fang Jun's hand, wrapped them with a straw rope, and handed them over: "Although the price is difficult to change, it can be adjusted according to the circumstances. Sir, two cents will be enough."

Fang Jun took the vegetables, but put three cents in Mrs. Tian's hand.

Madam Tian was stunned and quickly declined: "Sir, you gave too much."

Fang Jun waved his hand and said calmly, "It's not much. I see that you are very eloquent, so the extra money is like asking you for advice."

Madam Tian lowered her head and said softly, "I am just a vegetable seller. How can I have any experience to speak of?"

Fang Jun remained noncommittal. "I once heard someone mention you saying, 'Heaven's Way is rude and treats all beings equally.' But why is there still a distinction between the noble and the humble within Heaven?"

Madam Tian was slightly startled, then looked up. "Young Master, you are absolutely right. Heaven's laws are impartial, like the sun and moon shining upon all, and clouds and rain showering evenly. Yet, humans, with their own biased beliefs, use the sun's height above the moon to establish distinctions between superior and inferior."

Fang Jun's eyes were filled with a hint of deeper meaning: "The distinction between high and low in this world lies not in the laws of nature, nor in the universe, but in the human heart."

Madam Tian nodded, but soon shook her head, regaining her docile demeanor. She lowered her head and said softly, "I'm a fool, but I picked up some crazy words from a wandering Taoist priest. I'm sorry to make you laugh."

Fang Jun nodded, said nothing more, picked up the vegetables, turned around and left, his figure quickly disappearing in the bustling crowd.

Old Zhang, who was selling tofu nearby, muttered, "What kind of wandering Taoist priest is this? I'm afraid Madam Tian was once the daughter of an official family."

At this point he chuckled at himself, "Who doesn't have a good background to be able to come to the Immortal City? Seeking the truth and asking for the truth is ultimately like the dream of a locust ant. Who cares about background or not? Now I'm just a tofu seller!"

Awen tugged at his mother's sleeve, his face full of confusion: "Mom, what are you talking about? Why don't I understand?"

Mrs. Tian patted her son's head and said softly, "It's nothing, Awen, let's go buy some buns."

Hearing this, Awen cheered and followed his mother to the bun shop happily.

On the streets, the sound of firecrackers rang out, and the festive atmosphere of the New Year infected the entire Beixin Town.

(End of this chapter)