Reborn in 1977

Chapter 525: Let's Buy a House, Master

"Pingze Gate, draw the big bow, ahead is the Chaotian Palace. Chaotian Palace, write big characters, ahead is the White Pagoda Temple. White Pagoda Temple, hang the red robe, ahead is the Ma Shi Bridge. Ma Shi Bridge, jump three times, ahead is the Emperor's Temple. Emperor's Temple, circle the gourd, ahead is the Si Pai Lou..."

Zhang Xuansong supported himself with his crutches, slowly introducing Chen Fan to the history of old BJ, "This Pingze Gate is actually Fucheng Gate. Pingze Gate is what it was called in the Yuan Dynasty. In the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, it was changed to Fucheng Gate. The city gate also says Fucheng Gate, but the common people don't care what the officials decide. Generations have continued to call it this way.

It's been over 600 years, and it hasn't been corrected. It's not against the law, no one cares, and no one can care. Xuanwu Gate was called Shuncheng Gate in the Yuan Dynasty. Even now, some people still call it that. Some people have unclear pronunciation and call Shuncheng Gate 'Shunzhi Gate'. In the Qing Dynasty, that would be extremely disrespectful to Emperor Shunzhi, punishable by death, but the common people just called it that.

So, feudalism is just a paper tiger, not worth mentioning in the face of the power of the people.

Then there's 'draw the big bow', which refers to the bow and arrow camp inside Pingze Gate. There were quite a few weapon depots inside the inner city at that time, which was normal.

Ahead is the Chaotian Palace, and this Chaotian Palace is interesting. Do you know which temple was the largest in this city before?"

Chen Fan followed him a step behind with his hands in his pockets, leisurely looking around, "The White Cloud Temple."

Zhang Xuansong pondered for two seconds, "Wrong, you should say 'Bo Ying Guan'."

Chen Fan was surprised and turned to look at him, "Why are you speaking the Jiangnan dialect?"

Bo Ying Guan is the Jiangnan dialect pronunciation of White Cloud Temple. Did he know I came from Jiangnan?

Zhang Xuansong looked at him in surprise, "Your mind works quickly."

Then he grinned and said, "It's just that there are more outsiders now. In the earlier years, not too early, just in the fifties and sixties, every old Beijinger pronounced it this way, just like Da Shi Lan cannot be pronounced Da Zha Lan, but must be pronounced Da Shi Lan. So, if you tell people outside that it's White Cloud Temple, they'll know you're from out of town, no doubt."

He leaned on his crutches and walked forward, saying, "Since you know Bo Ying Guan, then tell me about Chaotian Palace."

Chen Fan's mouth twitched slightly, "In the eighth year of Xuande in the Ming Dynasty, 1422 AD, Emperor Xuande wanted to replicate the Chaotian Palace in Nanjing to Beijing. He chose a site inside Fucheng Gate to build Chaotian Palace, but the scale was even larger than the Chaotian Palace in Nanjing.

There were a total of 13 courtyards and over 3,000 rooms, equivalent to half of the Forbidden City. The title of the largest temple in the capital was also transferred.

However, Chaotian Palace only existed for less than 200 years. It was completed in 1433, and in the sixth year of Tianqi, which is 1626 AD, it was destroyed by a fire. After that, White Cloud Temple remained the number one Taoist temple."

Zhang Xuansong said, "It's Bo Ying Guan."

Chen Fan nodded mindlessly, "Right, right, right, Bo Ying Guan, Bo Ying Guan."

While they were talking, they had already arrived at the gate of White Cloud Temple.

Early this morning, he had nothing to do, so he suggested to Zhang Xuansong to go to the Taoist Association to see the situation, preferably to build relationships, so that when Chaoyang Temple is rebuilt in the future, they could at least get acquainted.

Don't only start burning incense when you need help from the Taoist priests.

Zhang Xuansong thought it made sense. He used to be determined to draw a clear line with these things, but now that he was retired, it didn't matter. So, he came out with him to find the Taoist Association.

The Taoist Association has been working in White Cloud Temple since its establishment, so the place they were looking for was also in White Cloud Temple.

It was quite far from Da Shi Lan to here, about 5 kilometers. Walking was definitely inconvenient.

With Zhang Xuansong around, he couldn't take a taxi because his master didn't allow such luxury. In the end, Chen Fan boarded a bus with a starting fare of 5 cents.

After getting off the bus with a sway, just arriving in front of the temple and seeing the scene in front of them, both of them were a little speechless.

Even 'dilapidated' was not enough to describe White Cloud Temple at this time.

The archway was crooked, the stone carvings were damaged everywhere, obviously caused by humans. The gate was crooked and slanted, barely usable. If the outside was already like this, the scene inside was completely imaginable.

This is the ancestral home of the Quanzhen Dragon Gate Sect. Qiu Chuji is buried here. Originally, White Cloud Temple was an affiliated temple of Changchun Palace. After Qiu Chuji's ascension, his disciple, 'Qinghe Miao Dao Guanghua Zhenren' Yin Zhiping, built a courtyard next to Changchun Palace to bury his master.

As a result, Changchun Palace was burned down later, but White Cloud Temple was left behind.

However, looking at the current appearance, it seems to be almost destroyed?!

"No,"

Chen Fan suddenly pointed to the square and said, "There are still people here."

Zhang Xuansong glanced at the ground and nodded lightly, "No weeds and no dust. Even if there are cleaners sweeping every day, it won't be so clean. Someone must be sweeping here specifically."

Chen Fan raised his head and walked inside, "We'll know when we go in and take a look."

As a result, as soon as the two of them walked to the door, they saw an old man in a thick cotton-padded jacket, thin, about 60 years old, walking out with a broom.

Chen Fan was slightly stunned and stopped immediately.

Zhang Xuansong also stopped beside him.

The old man looked at the two of them, with a bit of apprehension in his eyes, and asked cautiously, "Two...comrades, is there something you need?"

Sightseeing? Who would dare to visit a Taoist temple these days?!

Worshiping gods? Afraid of wanting to die...a hundred times.

Chen Fan showed a smiling face, and smiled politely, "Hello, Grandpa, may I ask, is the Taoist Association office here?"

Upon hearing the Taoist Association, the old man's unease increased a bit, "Who are you?"

Seeing his expression, Chen Fan understood a bit in his heart, and immediately smiled and made a Taoist salute.

With both hands pinching the Zi Wu Jue, arching up from the bottom, while slightly bending his waist, stopping when his forehead was level with his hands, he said, "Disciple of the Chaoyang Temple of the Yushan Sect of Quanzhen Taoism, come to pay homage to the Taoist Association."

Hearing this, the old man's eyes lit up instantly, with surprise on his face, "You are Taoist friends of the Yushan Sect?"

He immediately put the broom aside and made a Taoist salute, "Disciple of the Qingwei Sect of Zhengyi Taoism, I have met two Taoist friends."

Chen Fan blinked and turned to look at Zhang Xuansong, what does this mean?

How could the ancestral home of the Dragon Gate Sect be occupied by a Taoist priest of the Zhengyi Sect?

Although Zhang Xuansong has not dared to associate with Taoism in recent years, he has grown up in a Taoist temple after all, and has heard of some important sects and figures.

Hearing the other party's introduction, he couldn't help but look carefully at the old man and asked softly, "Could it be the Yue Wu Sheng of the Guandi Temple in Qianmen who enjoys the imperial salary? The Liu family's Gao Gong?"

Yue Wu Sheng were Taoist priests who served the imperial family's sacrifices in the past. They had official status, salary, and the position was inherited by descendants.

Being able to be a Yue Wu Sheng was undoubtedly a family with profound Taoism in the Taoist sect.

Of course, it can also be seen from this that those who can hold this position are all Taoist priests of the Zhengyi Sect.

Because Quanzhen Taoism are all monks, where do descendants come from to inherit?!

As for "Gao Gong", in ancient times, it referred to people with extensive knowledge and deep skills. Later, it was quoted by Taoism, and the person with the highest Taoist skills in the Taoist ritual was called Gao Gong, which is naturally a respectful title here.

Hearing Zhang Xuansong's words, the old man finally breathed a long sigh of relief, greeted him again, and smiled, "I dare not claim the title of Gao Gong, the old Taoist is indeed a descendant of the Liu family."

Zhang Xuansong and Chen Fan looked at each other, okay, they finally found the organization!

A few minutes later, in a small room next to the entrance of White Cloud Temple, a dozen old men sat around together, each with a smile on their faces.

Taoist Liu put a thick handwritten book aside, nodded and smiled, "The Taoist Register does have the Chaoyang Temple of the Yushan Sect of Shandong, confirmed to be the true inheritance of Quanzhen Taoism."

Hearing this, Zhang Xuansong finally breathed a long sigh of relief. With this, the reconstruction of Chaoyang Temple was stable.

But Chen Fan's attention was on the other side. He looked at these old Taoists in ordinary clothes, with white hair and dry skin, and couldn't help but gasp.

This is the current Taoist Association?

The Writers Association is also an association, and the Taoist Association is also an association. Is the gap a bit too big?!

Taoist Liu carried the newly boiled iron kettle and poured two bowls of tea for them, smiling, "The conditions are limited, only a bowl of coarse tea, please forgive me."

Chen Fan took it with both hands, and then made a Taoist salute with one hand.

That is, raising the palm, bending the index finger, leaving only the thumb and the three fingers behind, meaning one Qi transforms three pure ones, generally used when receiving things with the other hand.

He held the teacup in his left hand, raised his head and smiled, "Acting without acting, following the heart, if there is coarse tea, then drink coarse tea, what forgiveness is there."

As soon as the voice fell, an old man next to him laughed loudly, "The lady's spirit loves purity, but the heart disturbs it; the human heart loves stillness, but desires lead it. Without heart and without desire, purity and tranquility are natural."

Chen Fan smiled and made a salute, "Relieve its desires and the heart will be quiet, purify its heart and the spirit will be pure. Only relieve and purify."

Zhang Xuansong held the teacup and drank water, silently reducing his sense of existence.

When he was a child in the temple, he didn't like reading scriptures very much, he only loved practicing martial arts. After decades of going down the mountain from the broken temple, he had long forgotten the little things he had learned at the beginning.

But at least he had learned it, and he could understand what the two were talking about.

The first half of what the old brother said came from the "Taishang Laojun Says the Sutra of Purity and Tranquility", and the second half praised Chen Fan for his extremely high state of mind. Chen Fan's answer was similar. The first half also came from the Sutra of Purity and Tranquility, and the second half was self-deprecating, saying that his state of mind was not enough and he had to do his work every day.

Thinking of this, he even threw the panic of being picked to discuss scriptures out of his mind, and there was only shock in his mind.

Hiss..., this kid only read the scriptures last night, and he can discuss scriptures with the old Gao Gong?

What he didn't know was that Chen Fan had bought many Taoist scriptures in the old books he had bought before. He had tried to read them all, and with his unforgettable spiritual power, he had memorized them all.

When he read the Taoist books of the Yushan Sect last night, he naturally integrated those Taoist scriptures into the Taoism, just like an old guy who had practiced Taoism for decades.

Zhang Xuansong was worried beside him, but none of the dozen or so old Taoists looked for him. It seemed that they regarded him as a peer. If they looked for him to discuss scriptures, they were worried that they would be misunderstood as the host being unwelcome.

Discussing scriptures with peers has a certain procedure and etiquette, so as not to hurt harmony. If you discuss scriptures as soon as you meet, where does politeness come from?

Instead, they looked for Chen Fan. Discussing the small with the big can be said to be seniors guiding juniors. Even if the juniors can't answer, it is a matter of course and will not cause misunderstandings.

At the same time, they can also infer the Taoist skills of his elders through the level of the juniors.

What? What if you lose?

If you lose, you lose. Are you going to be beaten up?!

So, Chen Fan chatted happily with the dozen or so old Daoists.

They talked about everything from 《The Scripture of Purity and Tranquility》 to 《Tao Te Ching》, from 《Chongxu Scripture》 to 《Tongxuan Scripture》, and even 《Taiping Jing》, 《Yin Fu Jing》, 《Duren Jing》, 《Xin Yin Jing》…

On the contrary, the Quanzhen Dao Yushan School classics such as 《Chongyang's Fifteen Discourses on Establishing the Teaching》, 《Yun Guang Ji》, and 《Qingzhen Ji》 were not within the scope of their discussion.

These people were from the Yushan School; what could you learn by asking them about their own school's classics?

They chatted for so long that two pots of hot tea were not enough, and it was not until an old man with gray hair's stomach rumbled that everyone came back to their senses.

Then, they looked at each other and burst into laughter.

With this discussion of scriptures, Chen Fan was considered familiar with everyone, so he asked bluntly, "Have you seniors not had breakfast?"

Daoist Liu didn't feel ashamed and said frankly, "We did have some, but it was just a bowl of rice porridge, barely enough to stave off hunger."

Another person laughed and said, "Compared to many Daoists who have returned to secular life, we can still recite scriptures and cultivate the Dao, which is already very good."

Chen Fan looked at them, pursed his lips, and said nothing.

The Taoist temple's income comes from several sources, one of which is the allocation from the Religious Affairs Bureau, which is the main source of income.

The second is incense money, but the Taoist temple is not very good at attracting pilgrims, and the teachings are not very pleasing, so even decades later, the daily incense money of a Taoist temple in a big city is very little… Some media found a Taoist temple in Shanghai and opened a donation box, and those Taoists let them film it.

Out of 30 days a month, there was money in the box for less than 15 days, and each time the amount was not much, 30 or 50 yuan was considered a lot, which was far from the prosperous incense of its peers, or rather, it was not comparable at all.

Not to mention that the situation has been special in recent years, and this source has long been cut off.

The third is "external business", which is generally "performing rituals" for funerals. Well, this area is also cut off at the moment.

Then there is charging medical fees for treating diseases… In this day and age, who would dare to see a Daoist for medical treatment? Unless it is in remote areas with a shortage of doctors and medicine, it is about the same.

As for other gray areas such as divination, Feng Shui, and geomancy, even fewer people ask about them.

Therefore, at present, the Taoist temple's income is almost cut off except for a little allocation from the higher authorities.

But is there still an allocation now?

Looking at these old Daoists, he was sure that their income in recent years had been earned by themselves.

As for whether they were collecting garbage or doing something else, it was not easy to ask.

Daoist Liu added a ladle of water to the pot and said to the two, "In 1961, when the square was expanded, the Guandi Temple in front was demolished, so I went to Baiyun Guan to register, and it happened that the Taoist Association was also here, which saved a lot of trouble.

Later, when the storm came, many Daoists had no choice but to seek other paths. Several of us had nowhere to go, so we hid here together to seek peace and quiet, regardless of whether it was Quanzhen or Zhengyi, we were all one family of Daoism after all.

Living here, although occasionally a strong wind blows through and we look a little embarrassed, we can still continue to cultivate the Dao, which makes people happy.

It's just that the incense has been cut off in recent years, and we are inevitably short of money, so we have to find other ways to make a living. Therefore, we usually eat two meals a day, a thin one for breakfast and a dry one in the afternoon, which we can still manage to maintain."

After a pause, he smiled again, "But today we have a visit from a Daoist with high merit, so we must entertain him."

Saying that, he turned to look at the others, "How about adding a lunch?"

The others nodded with a smile, "Very good, very good."

Seeing this scene, Chen Fan turned to look at Zhang Xuansong and pressed his pocket without showing any emotion.

Zhang Xuansong understood what he meant and nodded lightly immediately.

Chen Fan then took out a bundle of food stamps from his pocket, and then took out a stack of Big Unity notes from another trouser pocket, stood up and walked to Daoist Liu, offering them with both hands, "Today we pay our respects, Chaoyang Temple of the Yushan School offers the Taoist Association a fee of 500 yuan and 500 catties of food stamps, to express our gratitude."

As soon as these words came out, everyone, including Zhang Xuansong, was shocked.

I knew you were going to give something, but I didn't know you were going to give so much!

Daoist Liu's mind buzzed, and he couldn't react.

What kind of family is this? They actually took out 500 catties of food stamps and 500 yuan at once?

Seeing that Daoist Liu was standing still and not accepting it, Chen Fan said, "In addition, there is one thing that needs the consent of all Daoists."

Daoist Liu immediately came back to his senses, looked up at him, "Please speak."

He thought silently in his heart: I knew this donation wouldn't be so easy to take.

Zhang Xuansong next to him straightened his body unconsciously, his eyes fixed on everyone.

Chen Fan said solemnly, "Our Chaoyang Temple originally cultivated the Dao in Shandong. In the past, when foreign enemies invaded, the elders in the temple broke the temple and went down the mountain to help the world and save people. Now, decades have passed, and only my master is left alive. He later accepted me as a disciple and intends to rebuild Chaoyang Temple.

It's just that Shandong is far away. We want to wait for the opportunity to mature and build a temple in Beijing. We will bear all the expenses ourselves. At that time, we will also ask the Taoist Association for assistance."

Then he put the food stamps and money on the table next to him and said solemnly, "This fee is just a greeting gift and has nothing to do with the request."

He said it had nothing to do with it, but if they didn't agree, would they still have the nerve to take it?

However, in the eyes of these Daoists, building a new temple is really not a big deal. If they succeed in building a temple, there will be more Daoists.

Not to mention that they are Daoists who broke the temple and went down the mountain to resist foreign invaders. They looked at Zhang Xuansong with more respect in their eyes.

Despite this, Daoist Liu did not immediately agree, nor did he take the money and tickets, but showed a look of embarrassment and said, "We should do our best to help build Chaoyang Temple in Beijing, especially for the great virtue and merit of contributing to the country, but…"

As he spoke, he spread his hands, turned around and glanced around, and said with a wry smile, "In the current situation, how dare we presumptuously agree?!"

Yes, now a group of old Daoists can hardly protect themselves, so where does the confidence come from to help them rebuild a new temple?

Chen Fan was not worried at all, grinned and smiled, "At the annual meeting at the beginning of the year, the higher authorities said that they want to unite all friendly forces. Now overseas relations have also become a sweet pastry. Maybe the Taoist gate will be rebuilt tomorrow. This hope is right in front of us. How can we say 'the current situation'? Could it be…"

Then he looked embarrassed and looked at them and said, "You Daoists don't want our Chaoyang Temple to relocate to Beijing?"

Hearing this, Daoist Liu no longer hesitated, looked at the other Daoists, and saluted Chen Fan and Zhang Xuansong, "Since this is the case, as long as there is a day to reopen the Taoist temple, our Taoist Association will definitely give our full support and help Daoist friends reopen Chaoyang Temple!"

Chen Fan and Zhang Xuansong smiled at each other and quickly expressed their gratitude to the Daoists.

Exchanging a sum of money and food for a promise, especially gaining the friendship and support of the Daoists of the Taoist Association, is a bargain no matter how you look at it.

When they came, they really didn't expect that the most important hurdle in rebuilding Chaoyang Temple would be passed so easily?!

And the dozen or so old Daoists here were also full of joy.

Friends in adversity!

They have been in trouble for so many years. It's not that there are no Daoist friends who support each other, but everyone can hardly protect themselves, and they have often gone through days of being hungry.

When have they ever been so generous as today!

500 catties of food stamps are enough for them to eat openly for more than a month!

They happily ate a vegetarian meal at the Taoist Association. It was only when they were eating that they learned that Daoist Liu was the vice chairman of the association and also the chairman of the Beijing branch.

Isn't this a coincidence!

When the Taoist Association is rebuilt in the future, are they still afraid that Chaoyang Temple will not be built?!

…

Back in the small courtyard, it was not yet 12 o'clock.

As soon as Zhang Xuansong entered the main room, he pulled Li Shangde and Lin Yuanxiang and talked endlessly about his experience this morning, which startled the two old men.

So the current mixed sects are so miserable?

Chen Fan sat aside for only a few minutes before he couldn't sit still.

He can stay in the study all day long without going out, but if there are other people there, that won't work, unless there is something to do.

With Zhang Shifu's two boxes of books, he doesn't plan to go to the Writers Association now. Today is the 12th, anyway, Chairman He and the others will not arrive until the 14th, so he will wait until they arrive before talking about it.

With nothing to do, he prepared to go out for another stroll.

At this time, Zhang Xuansong saw that he was going out and suddenly patted his head, "I almost forgot."

Then he went into the room with a cane and came out with a stack of money in his hand, "This 1000 yuan is for you. Forget about the food stamps, I don't have them even if you want them."

His monthly salary is 200 yuan. Besides eating and drinking, he doesn't spend much. His children all have jobs and their income is not low, so he doesn't need to spend money. A mere 1000 yuan is easy for him.

This money is naturally a supplement to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan waved his hand, "Forget it, you can keep your money for your retirement, or take it out and use it when Chaoyang Temple is rebuilt in the future."

Zhang Xuansong's face straightened, "I'm not dead yet, it's not your turn to spend your money."

Chen Fan looked at his face and found that he didn't seem to be playing polite, so he pursed his lips and took it over, casually put it in his pocket, "Let me ask, how much savings do you have?"

Zhang Xuansong squinted at him, "What, are you calculating my retirement money? I might as well tell you that I get paid by the unit every month, and I can't spend it all!"

Chen Fan grinned and smiled, "No, I want to see if it's enough to buy land to build a temple."

He pointed to the small courtyard and said, "Look, when Old Man Li bought this courtyard, it only cost 200 yuan. Now this courtyard can be worth 500 yuan at least, it's a single-family courtyard after all."

Then he looked at Zhang Xuansong, "Also, now more and more educated youths are returning to the city. How many educated youths have gone out of our Beijing city? Are there not 10,000 people who have not returned? It should be more than that, right?

Now that educated youths are returning to the city is a big trend. If they all come back and have no houses to live in, will the housing price still rise?

Zhang Xuansong frowned, "What do you want to say?"

Chen Fan spread his hands, "So I'm thinking, how much money do you have now? Let's see if we can buy a house first, don't wait until we want to build a temple in the future, and we can't even afford a house, that would be terrible. Why not buy a house now, Master!"