Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 746 Escape
Chen Fan agreed to stay for another week, but half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

In the master bedroom on the second floor of the Houhai mansion, Chen Fan got up early and quickly packed his luggage. At the same time, he was mentally ranting: As expected, the people who changed their plan from guerrilla warfare to attacking the county town had no integrity at all!
They clearly agreed on a week, but they keep dragging their feet and dragging it out every day.

If something were to happen, that would be one thing, but in reality, nothing was amiss. Under Master Liu's guidance, the nine disciples in the temple had fully embraced their roles and could handle all sorts of matters with ease, barring any special circumstances.

Under Zhang Xuansong's care, what special circumstances could possibly arise?
His son works in the municipal government, and taking advantage of the fact that his father's affairs are known to the higher-ups, he openly contacted the local street office and asked for special treatment.

With the United Front Work Department's document backing it up, the street office also took it seriously, arranging for two local police officers to maintain order at the entrance of the Taoist temple.

If even the local police can't handle it, they'll naturally report it directly to higher authorities, and Zhang Xuansong will then handle the situation. Regardless of the final outcome, it won't affect the young Taoist priests, so there's no need for him to stay here.

Seeing that they were all able to handle things skillfully, and with Baiyun Temple also preparing to reopen, Master Liu stopped coming over every day and went back to Baiyun Temple to work with the senior priests of the Taoist Association to prepare for the reopening of the temple.

Don't assume that opening a Taoist temple is simple just because Chaoyang Temple was able to complete its opening ceremony in just over half a month.

Whether it's simple or not depends on the size of the Taoist temple and its influence in the Taoist community!

Although the Yushan Sect is a major sect of the Quanzhen School, the Chaoyang Temple is quite small. Before Chen Fan and Zhang Xuansong visited the Taoist Association, who had ever heard of this temple?

So, you can submit an application to the Taoist Association without worrying about who to invite. The Taoist Association will naturally send people over to help with appearances, so there's no need to send invitations to anyone.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuansong had traveled the martial arts world for a period of time before joining the team, and Chaoyang Temple had a martial arts lineage, so he considered himself to be a member of the martial arts world. Therefore, he invited some martial arts practitioners, plus some old friends from the army, which was enough.

And what about Baiyun Temple?
That is the ancestral home of the Longmen School of Quanzhen Taoism, the Taoist temple of Qiu Chuji (also known as Changchunzi), and the current location of the Taoist Association.

How can Chaoyang Temple compare to others?!
If you put the two Taoist temples together, anyone would say it's Chaoyang Temple trying to scam you.

Therefore, reopening Baiyun Temple was not a simple matter.

There were too many specific details to cover, and while Master Liu patiently explained, Chen Fan was too impatient to listen. He only knew the specific opening date, which was tentatively set for the nineteenth day of the first lunar month of the following year, known as the "Yanjiu Festival."

The Yanjiu Festival, also known as the "Banquet at Qiu Festival" or "Meeting of Immortals Day," is the birthday of Qiu Chuji. Reopening the festival on this day naturally carries a special significance.

The reason for starting preparations so far in advance is not only because various complicated Taoist rituals need to be prepared in advance, but also because Taoist temples are currently extremely poor.

Just like the day Chaoyang Temple opened, which of the high priests who came to offer their congratulations didn't envy Chaoyang Temple's wealth and power?
He bought an old house and renovated it himself. The yard covers an area of ​​2,000 square meters, and I heard it only cost him 10,000 to 20,000 yuan.

There were also house renovations, murals, statues of deities, and so on, all made with the best materials and the highest level of craftsmanship.

Envy?
envy!

Jealousy?
Not really.

Having cultivated to their level, they no longer value material possessions. Their envy stems from the solemnity of the statues and the exquisite murals, which reminds them of their own dwellings and the temples and monasteries that have been overthrown. Such a comparison makes it difficult for them to remain calm.

Secondly, they would be happy to see a Taoist temple built so beautifully, and it would be best if it could remain safe and sound after opening. Only then would they have a chance to reopen the temple!
Sure enough, after Chaoyang Temple had been open for half a month and was not only fine, but also bustling with worshippers every day, almost all the Taoist priests and monks couldn't sit still and began to prepare for its reopening.

Unfortunately, they are not like the wealthy Chen, who doesn't need the association's support to build and open temples independently, and even has the resources to run Taoist cuisine and hold Five Elements and Eight Trigrams banquets.

The lack of money, including the lack of tickets, is the main reason, if not the only one, for all other temples and monasteries to be struggling.

This is not decades from now.

Starting in the mid-90s, if a famous temple or monastery was short of money, its first instinct was to spread rumors that it was going to hold a Dharma assembly, and so on.

In less than three days, countless wealthy people will come carrying banknotes, asking to "accumulate merit."

A slightly less prestigious option is for the abbot to personally travel to Hong Kong or Southeast Asia, easily raising hundreds of thousands or even millions in donations.

They'll just give us some blessed props later, and that'll be it.

Right now, if we don't have money, we don't have money. We can either wait for the Religious Affairs Bureau to resume operations, resolve the "wage arrears" first, then pray for funds for temple and monastery repairs, and then carry out the necessary repairs and purchases.

Putting everything else aside, shouldn't the damaged eaves, walls, statues, and murals be repaired?
Shouldn't all the Taoist priests, from top to bottom, get a new set of clothes? ...The Chaoyang Temple gave each of its Taoist followers four sets of everyday clothes. We won't compare ourselves to them, but surely each of us should have one set?

But where do the money and tickets come from?

Without the restoration of the Religious Affairs Bureau, there is no funding.

Then I can only do what Master Liu and the others do: do what I can first, accumulate little by little, slowly save up for a year, and at the same time, secretly go to the old pilgrims who are lucky enough to be uninvolved and ask for some alms.

If you don't have enough money, you can make up for it with time.

Therefore, it is quite normal to tentatively schedule the opening ceremony for the Yanjiu Festival in the first month of next year.

The situation is similar at Baiyun Temple, and other temples and monasteries are in much the same boat.

Otherwise, Chen Fan wouldn't have left so quickly.

When Chaoyang Temple opened, more than thirty high-ranking priests came to show their support. When their temple reopens, how could Abbot Chen not personally attend to return the favor?
But since the schedule was so far in advance, Chen Fan had no choice but to accommodate the time.

After privately sponsoring Master Liu with two thousand yuan, he made up his mind to make a quick getaway early this morning.

Well, only two thousand. Of course, it's not that Writer Chen's pockets are empty again. A mere Chaoyang Temple wouldn't be enough to empty his cash, not to mention that Master Zhang still has more than three hundred thousand in his savings.

The main problem is that there are too many Taoist temples to be revisited. If Baiyun Temple is given 5,000 or 10,000 yuan, how much money should be given to the other Taoist temples?

I heard there are dozens of Taoist temples there.

Although not all Taoist temples will necessarily reopen, what if they do?
As the ancestral temple of the Longmen School, Baiyun Temple and Chaoyang Temple of the Yushan School are of the same lineage. Giving two thousand yuan is enough to express our gratitude.

If any other Taoist temples reopen, the amount given will vary depending on the size, reputation, and lineage of the temple. It can range from 1,000 to 800 or 500 yuan, which is already a great expression of sincerity.

Other Taoist temples might not be able to afford it.

Chen Fan packed his luggage, didn't say goodbye to anyone, left a note on the desk in his room, and then made his escape.

Head to the airport for a direct flight to Shanghai.

……

This time, without calling or sending a telegram to the two sisters in advance, Master Chen could only rent a taxi at the taxi stand after arriving at the airport and go home alone.

Soon they arrived at the courtyard on Panyu Road. Chen Fan took out his key, opened the door, and went inside.

It was midday, and the house was quiet; there was no one there.

He knew that if he wasn't there, the two sisters might not have come back at noon. The first floor was still the same as before, the floor and tables were clean. He stood in the living room and looked around. He saw two water glasses on the dining table and knew that they hadn't had time to put them away in the morning.

I turned around and went upstairs to the second floor. I put my luggage back in the room, then went to the bathroom to turn on the water heater, and then went back to the room to wait.

The computer on the desk was covered with a cotton cloth. Pulling off the cloth revealed that both the cloth and the computer underneath were very clean, indicating that it wasn't simply covered up and left unattended.

The bed was empty, which made Chen Fan feel a little uncomfortable. In the past, when he came back here, he would call or send a telegram in advance, so when he arrived home, Jiang Lili had already prepared everything.

Do I have to do it myself this time?
Chen Fan hesitated for a moment, glanced at the skill board and saw that the housework skill was still at LV3, and silently turned off the skill board.

As long as I can't see it, there is no weakness.

Chen Fan turned on his computer, opened a document, and made a writing plan.

The reason he didn't return to the provincial capital in Jiangnan but came to Shanghai was that he planned to stay home and write books.

Other places, whether it's Lujiawan, Yunhu, or the provincial capital in Jiangnan, are not quiet places.

In Lujiawan, villagers would invite him to meals, and visiting groups would frequently come to the village to learn and observe. They never did anything productive; they were always thinking about meeting this great writer.

Yunhu is similar. Machinery factories, home appliance factories, automobile factories, cotton mills, health departments, education departments... many acquaintances will come to visit. Even if there are not many people on weekdays, it is easy to interrupt one's train of thought on weekends.

Originally, there was the capital city where he could find peace and quiet, but now he can't escape it anymore. Master Zhang wishes he could live in the Taoist temple, even if he said he wanted to do creative work.

Since the Taoist temple has a dedicated abbot's room.

So Shanghai is still the quietest.

Aside from the two sisters, only Anquan can be considered a friend; the others only have dealings with the Writers' Association.

But security personnel don't usually contact him, and people from the Writers' Association certainly won't come to his door on their own initiative.

As a result, this place became a safe haven from the storm.

After typing on the computer for a while, the water in the water heater heated up, so I took a shower and changed my clothes.

Then we went back to the room and continued.

Having eaten three airplane meals on the plane at noon, I didn't feel hungry, and before I knew it, it was evening.

Chen Fan didn't come to his senses until he heard the sound of the courtyard gate being opened outside the window.

He pushed aside the keyboard, stood up, walked to the window, and watched with a smile as Jiang Lili pushed her bicycle in. He then parked the bicycle and closed the gate.

Then push the cart forward.

After taking only two or three steps, Jiang Lili suddenly felt a tremor in her heart, sensing that someone was watching her. Instinctively, she looked up and saw a handsome smiling face.

She suddenly opened her eyes wide, her pupils dilated, and the next second, she pushed her bicycle and ran away.

Parking, opening, and closing the door were all done in one smooth motion. There wasn't even time to change shoes; they took off their shoes and ran upstairs barefoot.

When she reached the second floor, Chen Fan was standing at the top of the stairs, looking at her with a smile.

Jiang Lili screamed, "Xiao Fan, I miss you so much!"

As he spoke, he pounced over.

Chen Fan quickly caught her in mid-air.

The next second, Jiang Lili clung to him like an octopus, burying her head tightly in his shoulder. "When did you get back? You didn't even tell me beforehand. I would have come to pick you up."

Chen Fan didn't mention Master Zhang's bad behavior. He picked her up, turned around, and walked into her room... her room, and said with a smile, "I'll give you a surprise."

Jiang Lili straightened up and looked at him closely, almost nose to nose, her eyes sparkling. "What a pleasant surprise."

Chen Fan was about to speak when his mouth was covered, and he couldn't make a sound.

At that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: his bath had been for nothing.

Since Jiang Tiantian would be back soon, the two didn't practice for very long this time, ending after just over half an hour.

After showering together and getting dressed, they returned to their room. Chen Fan pinched the tip of her nose and said, "Little girl, you're getting bolder and bolder. Aren't you afraid that Tian Tian will suddenly come back and find out?"

Jiang Lili wrinkled her nose and chuckled sheepishly, "It's okay, I know when she comes back, it's about the same every day."

He then glanced at the clock in the room. "There are still 5 minutes left."

Meanwhile, he thought to himself, "I've already told her, so I'm not afraid even if she finds out."

Chen Fan had no idea there was more to the story. He assumed the girl was so infatuated with him that she didn't even care about being discovered by her sister. So he picked her up again and carried her to a chair.

He then asked, "How have you been these days? Has Tian Tian started writing yet?"

Jiang Lili hugged his neck tightly, nodded vigorously, and then rested her head on his shoulder. "At first, my sister didn't know where to start. Later, she read a few of your novels and imitated them to write a few openings, which made things a little easier."

However, more than ten days have passed, and she feels she is writing more and more smoothly, having already written quite a few words.

She paused for a moment, then looked up at Chen Fan and chuckled, "But she still can't compare to you. She can only write two or three thousand words a day. It's not that she types slowly, but that she needs to think, so she can't always type fast."

Chen Fan tightened his grip on her arms and laughed, "Don't compare yourself to me, I'm an exception. Actually, she can write two or three thousand words a day, which is already considered fast."

Many writers are lucky if they can write a few hundred or a thousand words a day. Unless they have a burst of inspiration, they might be able to write three to five thousand words a day, but that is a very rare occurrence.

When Ba Jin wrote his essays, he sometimes only managed to write a few hundred words a day.

Jiang Lili chuckled and said, "I know, that's what my sister said too. But I think she's still a little frustrated because she always wants to compete with you."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and shrugged, saying, "Then there's nothing we can do. Unless she can write a detailed outline in advance and then become proficient in using Chinese input methods, it won't be easy for her to write tens of thousands of words a day."

He didn't dare say that his peak writing speed was eight thousand words in an hour, for fear of scaring them.

However, writing 10,000 words a day is quite outrageous these days; only a very few prolific writers can achieve that.

(End of this chapter)