Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 60 Will my tooth break?

In the procession, there were also monks who dipped willow branches into the fragrant soup in the copper basin and then sprinkled it on the people on both sides of the road.

"Quickly, get more Buddhist connections!"

People eagerly reached out to catch the fragrant soup.

Of course, it's okay if you don't receive it.

The muscular monks, in groups of four, slowly carried large buckets filled with fragrant soup, and the people along the way caught the soup in their containers.

Yes, in addition to food, they also provide drinks during the event!
"This is called bathing water for the Buddha."

Amid the noise, Lu Guangyu loudly introduced it to him: "It's made by simmering chrysanthemum, jasmine, licorice, cinnamon twigs, mint, agarwood, rock sugar, and other ingredients. It tastes very good, you must try it!"

“Okay!” Lu Beigu responded loudly.

Ji Yun then nimbly jumped down from the stone lion: "I heard that this thing can ward off disasters and cure diseases, so my mother specifically told me to bring some back with me."

The large barrel was moved closer, and Lu Beigu looked at it. The color was quite nice, but he didn't know if it really tasted as good as Lu Guangyu had said.

Many of the onlookers did not bring their own utensils, but as long as they gestured, several elderly monks next to each group of monks would fill a large wooden bowl and hand it to them.

"Amitabha!"

"Bless the Buddha!"

As Lu Beigu accepted the wooden bowl, he sincerely prayed for Buddha's blessing.

After all, as a time traveler, it's honestly hard for him to accept that he doesn't believe in gods and Buddhas.

What's more, this is incredibly generous, providing both food and drink.

Lu Beigu first put the unfinished broad beans into a hidden pocket inside his clothes, then took a bowl of bathing water.

The bathing water is icy cold to drink, with a minty coolness, and a sweet taste with a herbal flavor. In addition, there is a unique fragrance. The fragrance is similar to sandalwood but not quite, and seems to be mixed with a slight coolness, which is the unique aroma of the bathing water.

"It tastes so familiar."

The smell was familiar, making Lu Beigu instinctively want to recall when he had smelled it before.

"Was it before I time-traveled? Jiang Xinghuo once bought a box of fake sandalwood online. They insisted it was a good product, but it gave me rhinitis from the smell when I put it in the office. It smells a bit like this."

"No, it's not. Although the smell is very similar, it doesn't smell like fake sandalwood."

Lu Beigu frowned, his head aching from trying to recall, but he still couldn't remember when he had smelled it.

Seeing that he looked uncomfortable, Lu Guangyu whispered in his ear and asked.

"Are you alright?"

It was too noisy around, so Lu Guangyu had to do this, otherwise he wouldn't be able to hear anything at all.

"fine."

"Are you feeling dizzy? But you haven't been eating well lately?"

Although people in ancient times did not understand what hypoglycemia was, they still understood the obvious phenomenon that "dizziness will occur if you don't eat well for a long time".

"No."

"That's good."

Lu Guangyu didn't take it seriously and suggested, "Eating something will make you feel better. Do you have any broad beans left?"

"A little bit."

Lu Beigu took out the remaining broad beans from a hidden pocket inside his clothes and put them in his mouth to chew.

However, in the next instant, a "crack" sound was heard.

"Oh no, did I break my tooth?" These days, there's no way to get fillings or implants. If your teeth break at a young age, you'll suffer for the rest of your life.

With a nervous heart, Lu Beigu spat out what was in his mouth.

Good news, it's not a tooth.

Even better news is that a golden bean is shimmering in the sunlight.

The words "Fawang Temple" are also engraved on it, along with a variety of unique anti-counterfeiting patterns.

Lu Beigu quickly did some mental calculations while looking at the gold bean. According to the "Collected Drafts of the Song Dynasty Administrative Regulations", one tael of top-grade gold during the reign of Emperor Renzong was equal to five strings of coins. This gold bean looked to be about half the size of a fingernail. According to the Song Dynasty system, its weight was about 0.25 taels, which was about 1250 copper coins.

He didn't know how the monks managed to disguise the golden beans by stuffing them into normal broad beans, but without a doubt, these things were smaller than ordinary pills, so even if someone accidentally swallowed them, they certainly wouldn't choke to death.

Even if you swallow it, you can still...
In short, this design is indeed risk-free, except for the possibility of damaging teeth.

"Golden beans!"

Ji Yun, with her sharp eyes and lack of cunning, was the first to call out.

Several passersby gathered around upon hearing the noise, all showing expressions of envy.

But it's just envy; so many muscular monks are right in front of Lu Beigu.

Moreover, many people know that although this thing is valuable, it is only worth a little over one string of cash. You can earn that much money by doing any kind of work. Unless you are desperate for money, no one would risk being arrested and thrown into jail to snatch a gold bean on such a holiday.

Therefore, over the years, there have been virtually no cases of people robbing the gold beans; they have mostly been used as a festive lucky charm.

For Fawang Temple, what is the cost of tens of thousands of broad beans and a few golden beans? But the publicity effect generated by this auspicious omen is excellent.

Many people are enthusiastic about participating in the event every year. On the one hand, they believe that if they can find a golden bean in the food, they will receive money, have a good omen, and be able to participate in the temple's activities for free. On the other hand, even if they don't find one, they still get to enjoy the excitement and free food and drinks in the morning, so they only gain something and lose nothing.

Upon seeing this, an old monk from Fawang Temple clasped his hands together and smiled, saying, "Benefactor, you are very fortunate. You can use this item to come to the temple for a vegetarian meal at noon. After the meal, there will be a Zen gathering. If you wish to participate, this gold bean is your entry pass. Just show it to me."

Lu Beigu nodded and carefully put the gold beans away.

Lu Guangyu clicked his tongue and said, "Brother Lu, your luck is truly amazing! The attendees of the Zen Forest Gathering are all invited. In addition to the great patrons, there are also many elegant monks from various Buddhist temples in Sichuan. These elegant monks are all people who have deeply studied Buddhism and are well-versed in literature. I have always wanted to go in and have a look, but unfortunately I haven't had the chance."

In the Song Dynasty, the exchange between Buddhism and Confucianism was very close. On the one hand, the scholar-official class was keen to discuss various philosophical propositions with monks who were proficient in Buddhism. On the other hand, they liked to integrate Zen into their lives and regarded Buddhism as a spiritual regulator.

Many scholar-officials neither completely renounced worldly life nor entirely rejected secular life, but instead pursued a middle ground of "lay Buddhist practice." For example, Ouyang Xiu called himself "Lay Buddhist of the Six Ones," integrating Zen into his poetry and wine-drinking lifestyle, and combining Zen meditation with tea tasting, poetry writing, and painting.

The most typical example is that with the rise of literati painting, Zen Buddhist "koans" and "koans" became the subject of poetry and painting. Literati and monks jointly created "Zen poems" and "Zen paintings," and the Zen Buddhist concept of "emptiness and tranquility" also profoundly influenced the artistic aesthetics of the literati, giving rise to styles such as "leaving blank space" and "simplicity."

In fact, Buddhist temples were also willing to cater to the culture of the literati. Many temples established "Zen Forest Academy" to invite scholars to lecture. In the Song Dynasty, the elimination rate of the imperial examination system was very high, which led to a surge in the number of scholars but limited official positions. Many scholars who had no hope of passing the imperial examination had to retreat to the mountains and forests, and Buddhist temples became an important way out for them.

Therefore, many temples in the Song Dynasty had actually transformed from simple Buddhist temples into places of cultural exchange. They usually had facilities such as libraries, poetry societies, and tea houses. Literati and officials often held elegant gatherings in Buddhist temples, and Buddhist temples would also take the initiative to organize similar activities, but there were usually requirements for participation.

Therefore, such gatherings were something that many scholars from lower social classes longed for.

"If you want to go, why don't you come along?" Lu Beigu said.

"No, no," Lu Guangyu shook his head repeatedly. "Only one person can go for the Golden Bean event. How can I take your spot?"

Lu Beigu smiled and said, "It's alright."

He then looked at Ji Yun and said, "Could you please ask Brother Han to take me with you? I'll lend this golden bean I ate to this classmate for now."

"Of course! Zen gatherings are meant to be held in teams!"

Ji Yun had no objection; for them, it was truly a trivial matter.

Since Lu Beigu has a very high chance of becoming their classmate at the state school, what's wrong with establishing a good classmate relationship in advance and doing a small favor?

Lu Beigu temporarily lent the gold beans to Lu Guangyu as an admission ticket.

Lu Guangyu was overjoyed when he received it and thanked him repeatedly.

(End of this chapter)