PCJ – Chapter 393 World Affairs

“The world changes too quickly!” At Zhang Dechun’s age, one can’t help but sigh. Unlike in the past, since the cement road was built, the remote mountain village of Meizi’ao seems to have moved forward with the times.

The elders often express their feelings, lamenting that the present age is no longer theirs. Whether in confusion or fear, the times must move forward.

The ancient profession of Meishan water masters is also slowly changing in this new era. In the past, Shiqing Wang, the oil shop’s elderly woman Tian, always had a few apprentices by his side, but now all his apprentices have gone to Guangdong to work or to cultivate tea.

When villagers fall ill or encounter problems, they no longer think of Shiqing Wang first. The village’s barefoot doctors are almost stealing his business.

“The world is changing!” Shiqing Wang also laments. In the past, one had to plead to become his apprentice, but now no one is willing to pursue the profession of a water master. When everyone was still struggling to have enough to eat, water masters could afford to eat meat. It was a very promising career, but now that everyone has enough to eat, water masters can only fill their bellies, which has become somewhat awkward. Shiqing Wang is a water master with a heritage. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have Zhang Jiaohua’s talent to turn stone into gold, nor can he guarantee that his apprentices will have a better life than others. Thus, his apprentices leave one by one.

Since the village started using electricity, cooking began using honeycomb coal balls. Fewer villagers enter the mountains, and even the kids rarely climb trees. Injuries from unknown swellings, insect bites, falls, and so on are naturally decreasing. These were exactly the types of ailments that Shiqing Wang excelled at treating. He began to notice that he was slowly losing his sense of existence in the village. Especially when he himself fell seriously ill and had to go to the hospital, the villagers suddenly realized that this originally miraculous Meishan water master was, after all, just a mortal.

This sense of loss made Shiqing Wang extremely dejected. Although he recovered from his illness, his vitality had never fully returned.

Shiqing Wang suddenly remembered that there was perhaps the youngest Meishan water master in the world in Meizi’ao. He had once wanted to exchange mountain dogs with Zhang Jiaohua, but that plan fell through because Shiqing Wang found out that even if he gathered twenty-four mountain dogs, he couldn’t afford to raise them at home. His ability to tame beasts clearly didn’t reach Zhang Jiaohua’s level. That ability also requires talent.

Shiqing Wang suddenly felt that while he could still walk, he wanted to visit Meizi’ao. He wanted to see the youngest water master. Perhaps he would know what path Meishan water masters should take in this era. After all, Meishan water masters cannot destroy the world like the magicians on TV, nor can they fly or travel through the earth; they, like ordinary people, age and fall ill. Shiqing Wang began to wonder what exactly it was that Meishan water masters practiced.

Shiqing Wang’s white dog gave birth to several immaculate puppies, and villagers came to ask for them. This time, Shiqing Wang resolutely refused, saying someone had already reserved them. Shiqing Wang planned to keep these puppies for Zhang Jiaohua. When the puppies turned a month old, he intended to go to Meizi’ao.

A month later, while Zhang Jiaohua was studying in class, his teacher called him out, saying an old man was looking for him. Seeing Shiqing Wang, who no longer had his former vigor, confused him.

“You only thought of exchanging puppies with me now?” Zhang Jiaohua was startled by Shiqing Wang.

“It’s not an exchange; these puppies are a gift for you. Even if I exchange them, I can’t raise so many puppies. My health is failing, and I can only rely on a few acres of land at home, which isn’t enough to support so many mountain dogs,” Shiqing Wang sighed.

“Do you have to raise mountain dogs yourself?” This question surprised Zhang Jiaohua.

“Don’t you have to?” Shiqing Wang was equally puzzled.

Zhang Jiaohua decided it was unnecessary to argue with an elder about such trivial matters. “You came all this way just to give me these puppies?”

“Not just that. I wanted to ask you something,” Shiqing Wang said.

“Ask me?” Zhang Jiaohua looked at the old man in confusion.

Shiqing Wang nodded. “Can we find a quiet place to talk?”

“Sure. Let’s go to the woods over there,” Zhang Jiaohua pointed to the trees by the river.

“Okay.” Shiqing Wang nodded.

“Can you tell me how Meishan water masters should cultivate?” Shiqing Wang asked.

“How would I know? You’ve been a water master for your whole life; don’t you know how to cultivate?” Zhang Jiaohua asked in surprise.

Shiqing Wang shook his head. “Although I have a heritage and have copied a scripture, I don’t know what constitutes cultivation. I followed the water master’s precepts and memorized the scripture, but what exactly is the cultivation of a water master?”

“Don’t you have a method?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“What method? Do you have a method?” Shiqing Wang replied.

Zhang Jiaohua shook his head. “I don’t know either.”

“Didn’t your master teach you?” Shiqing Wang inquired.

“My master was an old Taoist I dreamed about. But he didn’t resolve the incense fire hexagram,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

“You dreamed about him?” Shiqing Wang was also stunned, not expecting such a miraculous thing in the world. “It’s just as well you didn’t learn. The world has changed; what can water masters do? My apprentices have all gone to work in Guangdong, each with their own affairs. When I fell ill, no one came to see me. I think when I die, no one will come to ask me to resolve the incense fire hexagram. Will Meishan water masters lose their inheritance in the future? I came to ask you if you know how Meishan water masters truly cultivate.”

“You’ve been a Meishan water master your whole life and still don’t know; how would I know? I haven’t dreamed of that old Taoist in many years. Maybe I’ll never dream of him again,” Zhang Jiaohua shook his head, his eyes filled with confusion.

“Sigh!” Shiqing Wang sighed and unsteadily left.

Watching Shiqing Wang’s back, Zhang Jiaohua felt a sense of emptiness in his heart. He couldn’t quite understand the old man’s feelings at that moment. But he felt lost; he didn’t know what path lay ahead of him. His life was destined to be different, but how to move forward, he truly didn’t know.

The wind began to rise; the trees in the mountains swayed, the leaves of the broadleaf trees rustled, while the leaves of the slender trees made a shushing sound. Birds softly chirped in the forest, and geese circled far above in the sky. The sky was a deep blue, and the sun was warm.

“Jiaohua, Jiaohua,” it was unclear how much time had passed when Zhang Yuanbao and others ran over, calling him, breaking Zhang Jiaohua’s contemplation, a trace of unexpected profundity appearing on his young face.

“Jiaohua, why haven’t you come back so late? We’ve been looking for you everywhere. We thought you were taken away by that old man,” Zhang Yuanbao ran over and shook the still dazed Zhang Jiaohua.

“It’s nothing,” Zhang Jiaohua shook his head.

“That’s good.” The mute said.

The four pure white mountain dogs were all in a cardboard box, looking up at Zhang Jiaohua with curiosity in their eyes. As a Meishan water master, Zhang Jiaohua exuded an aura that the puppies found very appealing, allowing him to approach them easily.

Back at school, Zhang Jiaohua entrusted the four puppies to Zuan Shanbao for care. The puppies quickly grew fond of Zuan Shanbao, but they didn’t see him as a father; rather, they treated him like a mother. Whenever Zuan Shanbao squatted down, the puppies would rush over to look for milk in his belly.

Meizi’ao remained turbulent. However, Zhang Youping’s attitude was very firm because Meizi’ao was a pilot project. If Meizi’ao couldn’t make it work, it would be even more impossible in other places.

“Everyone, first of all, we need to clarify that I’m not trying to squeeze more profits out of you. To be honest, the profits from Biyu Xianyin are already enough for me. But for you, it’s still not enough. It’s not enough for Meizi’ao either. The value of tea itself has already been reflected. You can’t expect the tea factory to arbitrarily increase prices anymore. Therefore, we can only look for profit margins around the tea.

As for the sightseeing tea gardens currently being promoted by the county, no one has realized the economic benefits they hold. Moreover, no one is willing to invest because the unknown risks are too high. Another issue is how to distribute the benefits generated by the sightseeing tea gardens. Future tourists may not consume directly in the tea gardens, meaning the tea gardens won’t benefit directly, yet they will require substantial investment, which poses a significant problem. This is also the reason why I am determined to integrate all the tea gardens in Meizi’ao. If the sightseeing tea gardens generate sufficient benefits, they can subsidize our ordinary tea gardens.”

Zhang Youping’s words made everyone understand that the future of Meizi’ao depended not just on them but also on how they integrated their strengths with those of Zhang Youping.

“What do you think about all this? You can share your opinions.” Zhang Youping looked at everyone, allowing them to express their views.

“This is still our land, after all. We cannot rely on someone else’s land. I agree with Mr. Zhang’s views, but we need to see if we can really manage to gain something from this process.” An older villager began expressing his views.

“Yes, we have also discussed before whether Meizi’ao’s approach can really work. If it doesn’t, we may end up empty-handed,” another villager echoed.

“It’s fine if we fail, but at least we tried,” Zhang Youping quickly reassured them.

“But are we truly able to realize our dreams? It feels like a fantasy,” someone asked.

“That’s what we need to discuss,” Zhang Youping replied. “There’s no fixed answer. But we will work together. If we succeed, it will benefit everyone. If we fail, we can only take a loss together.”