PCJ – Chapter 336 Hope

Zhang Dayun was sweating profusely under the scorching sun. His bare back was exposed to the bright sunlight, and his skin had already turned bronze. Under the sun’s rays, it emitted a metallic sheen.

Zhang Dayun’s mother, Luo San’nu, stood inside the rundown wooden house, leaning against the constantly creaking door while holding a kettle. She called out toward the door, “Dayun, are you thirsty? Have some tea first.”

Luo San’nu had poor eyesight since birth—it was hereditary. By the time Dayun was in his teens, she had already gone blind. Now, Zhang Dayun was forty years old, but in her memory, he was still that teenage boy.

Zhang Dayun put down his hoe and turned around, grinning at Luo San’nu. “Mom!”

He returned to the house, took the kettle, and drank several big gulps of water straight from the spout. “The beggar said the saplings will be brought to the village soon. I need to get the land ready. If it weren’t for the beggar’s advice, I’d be struggling to plant tea trees on this mountain for years. The beggar’s idea is good—just dig trenches. Once the tea trees are planted, I can slowly clear the thorns in the mountains. This way, I can plant tea trees all over the mountain. But for now, I can’t earn money at the tea factory like the other villagers. I heard you can make over a hundred a day.”

“My dear son, it’s your father and me who are holding you back. If it weren’t for us, with your strength, even if you couldn’t find a wife, you could have married into someone else’s family. That’s still better than being single for life.” At this, Luo San’nu couldn’t help but wipe away her tears.

“Mom, why do you keep saying that? You and Dad worked hard to raise me. How could I leave you just to find a wife? Don’t worry. The beggar said once my tea plantation starts producing tea, he’ll take care of the sales. With his word, what do I have to worry about? When the tea is ready, our good days will come,” Zhang Dayun said hurriedly when he saw his mother crying.

Sitting in a chair, Zhang Dayun’s father, Zhang Wanlai, spoke up, “The beggar treated my leg with water the other day. It feels like it doesn’t hurt as much anymore, and I think I’m starting to feel something in it again. If the beggar treats it a few more times, I might even be able to walk again. I can’t keep letting Dayun hold this family up all by himself. I keep wondering why heaven didn’t let me die—why leave me to burden you two?”

“You stubborn old man, why are you saying such things? If I hadn’t gone blind, you wouldn’t have had to work yourself to death to earn points to support us. That’s why your leg is like this,” Luo San’nu cried again.

“Ah, what are you two talking about? Didn’t Dad just say his leg is getting better? I’ll go find the beggar later and ask him to treat Dad a few more times. Maybe Dad’s leg will fully recover. And who knows, maybe he can even help cure Mom’s eyes. Once the tea plantation makes money, I’ll build a house, get a wife, and when Mom’s eyes are healed, she can take care of the grandchildren,” Zhang Dayun said with a smile.

“I don’t dare to dream. If my Dayun can marry a wife, I’d give my life in exchange,” Luo San’nu said, smiling through her tears.

“Who would be foolish enough to trade their life for a daughter-in-law?” A childlike voice suddenly sounded from the door.

“Beggar, I was just about to look for you. Glad you came,” Zhang Dayun said happily. He was about to pour tea for Zhang Jiaohua, but remembered that he had just drunk from the kettle. He didn’t want to offer him tea from the same kettle.

“What do you need me for?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“My dad says his leg is getting much better. I was hoping you could treat him a few more times. And my mom, even though she’s been blind for decades, do you think you could cure her?” Zhang Dayun asked excitedly.

“Dayun, we can’t keep bothering Jiaohua for help. Just getting your dad’s leg treated is enough,” Luo San’nu said.

“Let me take a look,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

Luo San’nu had been blind for over twenty years. In the village’s memory, she had always been blind.

“I don’t know if I can cure it,” Zhang Jiaohua admitted.

“My mom’s eyesight wasn’t great when she was young, but she could still see. Then she got sick, and after that, she went blind,” Zhang Dayun explained hurriedly.

“I’ll give it a try, but I can’t make any promises,” Zhang Jiaohua said. He asked Zhang Dayun to bring a bowl of clear water.

He chanted incantations while drawing symbols over Luo San’nu’s eyes, and finally, he drew one in the water. After repeating the incantations three times, the water was ready.

“Uncle Dayun, let Grandma drink this water first,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

Zhang Dayun quickly brought the bowl over. “Mom, drink it. Jiaohua treated this water for you. Drink it, and your eyes will get better.”

“I’ll drink it, I’ll drink it,” Luo San’nu said, her hands trembling as she took the bowl and drank the water in one gulp.

“How do you feel? Can you see anything?” Zhang Dayun waved his hand in front of her eyes.

“How could it work that fast?” Luo San’nu chuckled.

“Right, right. It will take time. As long as it works, that’s all that matters,” Zhang Dayun laughed foolishly.

“From now on, face the northeast, burn incense, and bow three times while reciting the incantation. Do this three times a day. I’ll also look for some medicine for Grandma to take,” Zhang Jiaohua said, unsure if it would work. He used all the techniques he knew. For Zhang Wanlai’s leg, he was more confident.

He also treated Zhang Wanlai with water and had brought some herbs, already made into an ointment.

“Apply this ointment to Grandpa Wanlai’s leg daily,” Zhang Jiaohua instructed, handing over the ointment.

“Jiaohua, you’ve been so kind to our family. We don’t know how to thank you,” Luo San’nu said gratefully.

“You’ll need to pay me later. Once your tea plantation starts making money, the first thing you’ll need to do is pay my medical fees,” Zhang Jiaohua joked.

“Of course, of course. Once the tea makes money, I’ll pay you whatever it costs,” Zhang Dayun laughed.

“Uncle Dayun, have you finished digging the trenches? When the tea saplings arrive, we’ll plant them in the trenches. You can clear the thorns on both sides later. Once the tea trees start growing, you should have cleared all the thorns by then,” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“Almost done. In a few days, it’ll be ready. But without some fertilizer, I’m worried the tea trees won’t grow well,” Zhang Dayun said, concerned.

“Didn’t you burn the mountain? There’s ash all over the ground. That’s good enough. Don’t worry. Once the tea trees are planted, they’ll grow just fine. Even the tea trees at the garden didn’t get fertilizer, and they’re doing well,” Zhang Jiaohua said confidently.

“Alright, I trust you. You’d never steer me wrong,” Zhang Dayun replied.

Zhang Jiaohua hadn’t originally wanted to get involved, but when he mentioned Zhang Dayun to his parents, Zhang Youping asked him to help out more. That’s why he started treating Zhang Wanlai’s leg.

His Taoist master had also told him that helping good people was like helping yourself. This was accumulating good karma. The kinds of gods a Meishan water mage could summon depended on how much merit they had accumulated.

Unbeknownst to them, the tea trees at the garden had already started sprouting tender green shoots. The county’s first batch of tea saplings had arrived at Meizi’ao, and over a thousand acres of tea were being planted, making Meizi’ao a model in Xintian County. The county promised to supply all the new tea plantations with saplings this year, prioritizing Meizi’ao. This first batch of saplings went to Zhang Dayun.

The whole village pitched in to help Zhang Dayun move the saplings to the plantation and plant them in the pre-dug trenches.

However, Zhao Shuanglin, the agricultural technician sent to guide the planting, was not pleased.

“No, no. This doesn’t meet the requirements at all. If you plant like this, it’ll be a waste of saplings. The county spent a lot of money to get these. Wasting them like this is practically a crime!” Zhao Shuanglin immediately stopped the planting.

“Cadre Zhao, don’t worry. Jiaohua transformed over ten thousand acres of tea plantations in this county. With him here, these saplings will survive. The only reason we’re planting this way is because we don’t have any other choice. This whole plantation belongs to one family. They have three people, but only one can work. Most of the villagers now work at the tea factory. Given their situation, where could they afford to hire help to till the land? Please be flexible,” Zhang Dechun pleaded.

“The county sent me here to guide the planting of tea saplings, so I’m responsible for ensuring they aren’t wasted. I sympathize with their situation, but that’s no excuse for me to be negligent,” Zhao Shuanglin said angrily.

“How about this: if anything goes wrong with these saplings, I’ll take full responsibility. Any loss will be covered by Meizi’ao Tea Factory. It won’t affect the county’s plan,” Zhang Youping offered.

“Alright, but if the saplings fail, you’ll be held accountable, and I’ll report this to the county leadership. You’ll lose any future saplings,” Zhao Shuanglin warned sternly.

“No problem. But if we prove this method works, we’ll continue planting this way on the rest of the plantation. Just don’t stop us next time,” Zhang Youping said confidently, trusting his son’s abilities.