GBP Chapter 20 Witness the Miracle
Chapter 20 Witness the Miracle
After the nanny brought the dishes to the table, the old Taoist priest gave her the order: "You can go back now, no need to pack." The old Taoist priest and Ouyang watched as the nanny took her bag, walked out of the villa, and closed the door.
The two quickly went to the dining table, each taking a bowl of rice and taking a bite. "So delicious!" the old Taoist priest exclaimed inwardly. Ouyang said, "I've never seen rice and vegetables like this before. The flavor is so fresh." He took two more bites. But as the old Taoist priest took his third bite, something was amiss—this was truly a delicacy.
The old Taoist priest said, "Ouyang, hurry up, let's finish eating and then meditate together."
The two devoured a bowl of rice like starving demons; it was gone in less than a minute. The old Taoist priest quickly took the bowl to the rice cooker and scooped out another. He then placed the rice cooker directly on the dining table, giving himself and Ouyang a bowl each. A little rice was left over, and Ouyang tried to scoop some more, but the old Taoist priest said it was for him. Ouyang replied, "Okay, Master, you eat first."
Ouyang and the old Taoist priest ate every last bit of the five dishes on the table; they had never been so clean before. The plates were sparkling clean, as if they had been washed. After finishing their meal, the two sat in the villa's garden area, found a pavilion, and each sat on one side, quickly beginning their meditation.
The old Taoist priest felt spiritual energy coursing through his body, and even Ouyang felt a unique spiritual energy flowing through his body, cleansing his entire being from his stomach. This spiritual energy seemed to widen their meridians, and every cell in their bodies seemed to rejoice. They closed their eyes tightly, their faces flushed, completely immersed in this wondrous feeling.
That evening, the old Taoist priest and Ouyang woke up from their meditation. The old Taoist priest quickly called his master and said, "Master, we're out of spirit fruits, but we found spirit rice and spirit noodles. Compared to spirit fruits, spirit rice and spirit noodles might have stronger spiritual energy. But I can't quite put my finger on it; it's like the two plants have different effects. The effects of spirit fruits on people are different from those of spirit rice and spirit noodles. Anyway, they're quite rich in spiritual energy; they're all good things. Do you think we should buy a lot?"
The driver on the other end of the phone pondered for a moment and said, "Don't rush to make a decision. Let me go and take a look myself."
The old Taoist priest replied, "Yes, Master, please come over as soon as possible."
After hanging up the phone, the old Taoist priest and Ouyang fell into deep thought, considering how to handle the matter next.
After the old Taoist priest finished his phone call with his master, and the master hung up, he immediately rushed down the mountain, arriving at the foot of the mountain at midnight. He hailed a car from the roadside and quickly arrived at the Jiangnan-style villa where the old Taoist priest and Ouyang lived.
A gentle knock reached the old Taoist priest's ears. He quickly opened the door to welcome his master inside. The master asked, "Are you sure it's that good?" The old Taoist priest replied, "Yes, I'll make you some spirit rice and spirit flour right away."
Ouyang called the nanny who cooked lunch again. When the nanny answered, she glanced at the time—1 a.m.—and said to Ouyang, "Do you still need to eat at this hour? Can't you eat tomorrow morning?" Ouyang replied, "No, please, Auntie, come over here. I'll give you an extra 1 yuan." The nanny hung up, thinking that 1 yuan for working overtime was definitely possible. The nanny got up, realizing it was impossible to buy groceries at this hour, so she gathered all the ingredients from Ouyang's other villa—everything she could find—and carried them towards the Jiangnan villa.
Half an hour later, the nanny arrived. Ouyang said to her, "Just make another meal like at noon to entertain the Ancestral Master." The nanny agreed. "But we only have one jin of spirit rice and one jin of spirit noodles, and the vegetables from noon are a little wilted and there's still a bit left. I brought some vegetables from your villa, so we'll just have that." Ouyang agreed, "Okay, then thank you for your trouble, Auntie Nanny." The nanny said, "Then we can start eating in an hour and a half. Please wait a moment."
Then, Ouyang, the old Taoist priest, and his master went to the study on the second floor for a secret discussion.
After the three finished their secret discussion, the housekeeper downstairs called out that dinner was ready. The three quickly went down to the dining room, where the food was laid out on the table. The housekeeper licked her lips, smelling the delicious aroma, and longed for a late-night snack. However, remembering the looks from the old Taoist priest and Ouyang at noon, she quickly tidied up the kitchen, grabbed her bag, and hurried out of the Jiangnan villa.
The old Taoist priest watched the nanny leave and close the door, then quickly served his master a bowl of rice. "Master, try this rice made from spirit rice, it's delicious." Ouyang and the old Taoist priest didn't serve rice to each other, waiting for their ancestor to eat first.
When the patriarch finished his bowl of rice, his eyes bulged, his joy as if he had discovered a new continent. "Good stuff, good stuff, this is good stuff!" Then the patriarch devoured the entire pot of rice made from a pound of rice, as well as the several pancakes made from spiritual flour on the table. He only ate a few of the dishes, leaving some untouched. The old Taoist priest and Ouyang exchanged a glance, then looked at the table and noticed that the patriarch had eaten all the spiritual vegetables. The ordinary vegetables, which the nanny had gathered from Ouyang's other villa, remained untouched.
Finally, after a whirlwind of eating, the patriarch was finally satisfied and said, "Ouyang, I don't have much money in my pocket. Old disciple, how much money do you have?" The old Taoist said, "I don't have much money either." The two looked at Ouyang, who said, "Money is just a number to me, a small matter. The question is, how much of this stuff do you have left?" The old Taoist showed Ouyang his conversation with Lao Xiao on his phone. After reading it, he said, "Not much, not much." "How much?" Ouyang thought for a moment and said, "Master, could you contact Lao Xiao and ask if he's willing to sell it? What kind of transaction will be used? I wonder what the cultivators there need? If it's some classic books or Taoist techniques, what do you two think?" The old Taoist and his master thought about it and agreed, as long as he brought the stuff, they could share it. If he produced a lot of spiritual rice, spiritual noodles, and spiritual fruits, he could share some with them. Ouyang thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll provide the funds."
At 3 a.m., the old Taoist priest pulled out his phone and quickly contacted Lao Xiao, sending him a message: "Benefactor, how does this transaction work? Where exactly is it conducted?" After sending the message, the old Taoist priest waited and waited, but Lao Xiao didn't reply. Suddenly, Ouyang Xiu said, "Master, you don't need to wait anymore, everyone is definitely sleeping now." The old Taoist priest raised his hand to the sky and exclaimed, "Wow, 4 a.m., they're definitely sleeping!"
Old Xiao and Ouyang led the patriarch to the pavilion in the center of the villa. The three of them sat down, each on a side, and began to meditate and cultivate. A ray of morning sunlight shone through the cracks into the villa, a scene reminiscent of the Jiangnan water town. Ouyang was the first to open his eyes, walk down the steps, and stretch his limbs.
After a while, the old Taoist priest also woke up, feeling refreshed, and walked to the open space beside the pond to begin practicing his boxing. The patriarch also woke up, got up, shook himself left and right, and then went to the old Taoist priest's side to begin his morning boxing practice. Ouyang Xiu saw that both old men were up and exercising. He thought for a moment, then went back upstairs, changed into his sportswear, and ran ten laps around the villa complex before returning to his old modern villa to take a shower and change his clothes.
They went to the villa where the two masters lived and asked what they wanted to eat so he could buy it. Both masters said no, breakfast wasn't necessary. Then the old Taoist priest arranged for Ouyang to drive, saying, "Let's go to Lao Xiao's hot pot restaurant and wait there." At 8:30 in the morning, Lao Xiao finished breakfast and prepared to drive to work. He checked his phone and saw a message from the old Taoist priest on WeChat. Lao Xiao replied, "Master, I have to go to work today. If you're in a hurry, come to my hot pot restaurant at noon, and we can discuss it then."
The old Taoist priest had already gotten into Ouyang's car and was on his way to the hot pot restaurant. He saw Lao Xiao's reply and said to Ouyang, "Ouyang, where should we go first? We're meeting at the hot pot restaurant at noon. They've replied, so we need to prepare some gifts." Ouyang thought for a moment, "How about I prepare some cash and gold?" The old Taoist priest said, "Okay." Finally, Ouyang pulled over to the park, took out his phone and gave it to his finance manager. The company finance manager then made an appointment with the bank and withdrew 500,000 yuan in cash. They exchanged it for 500,000 yuan worth of gold bars, then put all the cash and gold bars in Ouyang's trunk. The old Taoist priest and Ouyang then drove to a century-old pastry shop. Ouyang went in and bought several boxes of classic pastries, putting them in the car. The three of them strolled around the lake in the park, checked the time—it was almost 11:30—and got back into the car. Ouyang drove to Lao Xiao's hot pot restaurant.
They entered the hot pot restaurant, ordered their food, and waited for Lao Xiao in a private room. Lao Xiao arrived at the hot pot restaurant around 12:20, found them, and sat down to eat and chat.
The old Taoist priest asked, "Benefactor, how many do you actually have?"
Old Xiao said, "Let's not beat around the bush. Our friends who are practicing cultivation have obtained a blessed land, but it's not big, and each season's crops are only a small amount. What price do you think it would be worth?"
The old Taoist priest said, "We would like to ask for more of this sacred rice and noodles."
Old Xiao said, "We can't ask for more; we only produce that much each year."
The three men met and whispered something. The old Taoist priest then said to Old Xiao, "Then ask your friend how much it costs and what the price range is."
Old Xiao said, "You guys ate it, what did you think? What price do you think it's worth?"
The old Taoist priest said, "This is originally priceless, but if we're talking about price, ordinary rice in the market costs only two or three yuan, and better quality rice costs ten or so yuan. How about this, I'll multiply it several times, how about 1000 yuan per jin? Or I can exchange it for some books or Taoist teachings." The old Taoist priest nervously told Old Xiao what he had.
Old Xiao said, "Wait a minute, I'll make a call. I'll ask you, I'll help you find out." With that, Old Xiao left the private room and went to a secluded balcony outside the hot pot restaurant. He then called Lin Yue. "Hey, Lin Yue. We've offered 1000 yuan per jin (500g) for either rare books or some kind of exchange on Taoist practices. Is that okay with you?"
Lin Yue thought for a moment and said, "Okay."
Old Xiao then asked, "How many exactly are you selling? He wants spirit rice and spirit flour."
Lin Yue said, "Ask them how many you want, then tell me the weight, and we'll contact each other on WeChat."
Old Xiao agreed, and after hanging up the phone, he returned to the private room. He asked, "How much did the old Taoist priest say you specifically want?"
Ouyang suddenly interjected, saying, "The more the better."
Old Xiao said, "Name a number."
The old Taoist priest asked, "Do you have five hundred catties? Five hundred catties for both of them. Can you give me some of those spiritual vegetables? How much are they per catty?"
Old Xiao said, "I haven't asked Lingcai yet, please wait a moment." In front of them, Old Xiao took out his phone and quietly asked Lin Yue on WeChat.
Lin Yue replied on WeChat: "Since rice and flour are 1000 yuan per jin, then spiritual vegetables are 2000 yuan per jin. Moreover, spiritual vegetables are fresh vegetables and there aren't many. I can only sell them a maximum of 100 jin of spiritual vegetables. As for the types, I have the final say because there's only a little of each kind. Then Lao Xiao asked if you were prepared to accept payment, either cash or gold."
Old Xiao said, "Should I collect the money for you? Or what?"
Lin Yue replied, "Okay, come to the kitchen of your hot pot restaurant later. I'll put the things in your little storage room, and you can bring them to pick them up after I leave."
Old Xiao replied, "Okay." Then he put away his phone and went back into the private room.
Looking at the anxiously waiting Taoist priest and Ouyang, Lao Xiao said, "My friend said that spirit rice and spirit noodles are 1000 yuan per jin, and spirit vegetables are 2000 yuan per jin. She can only give a maximum of 100 jin of spirit vegetables, and she will decide the types, because there are not many of each kind. As for money, cash or gold is fine."
The old Taoist priest and Ouyang exchanged a glance. The old Taoist priest said, "Alright, then we'll take 500 catties each of spirit rice and spirit flour, and 100 catties of spirit vegetables."
Old Xiao nodded: "Alright, let's eat first, and I'll take you to get it later."
Lin Yue quietly placed the items in Lao Xiao's small storage room. She drove away and sent Lao Xiao a message: "The items are stored away; take them to get them."
Old Xiao watched as the three of them finished eating before saying, "The food has been put away by my friend. Now I'll take you three downstairs." He led the three to another warehouse next to his kitchen. Opening the small warehouse, he saw 500 catties of spirit rice and 500 catties of spirit flour piled up in a corner of the warehouse, along with four baskets containing different vegetables placed beside them.
The old Taoist priest and Ouyang rushed in, opened the flour and rice containers respectively, and checked them. They were the same things they had tried before. They also checked the vegetables, which were also things they had eaten before. They nodded to each other. The patriarch also came over to take a look and was also surprised. To be able to produce so much, it seemed that this fellow Taoist had indeed obtained a blessed land.
Ouyang said to Lao Xiao, "I've withdrawn 50 in cash, 50 in gold, and 50 in gold. I'm a little short. Can I transfer it electronically?"
Old Xiao said, "After thinking about it, how about you pay in cash?"
Ouyang said, "Wait a moment, I'll call the finance department."
Ouyang immediately took out his phone and called the finance department: "Bring another 50 yuan in cash. Also, have the finance department bring one of the company's extended vans." The finance department, following Ouyang's instructions, put the money in the van and drove to Lao Xiao's hot pot restaurant. Ouyang sent the finance department back to the company and drove the van to Lao Xiao's small warehouse.
He took 200,000 yuan from the 500,000 yuan and handed it to Lao Xiao in cash. He also gave Lao Xiao the 500,000 yuan and 500,000 yuan worth of gold bars that had been in the trunk of his car. Lao Xiao casually put them in his own trunk. Ouyang said, "Thank you for your help, friend. Here are a few boxes of pastries for you." Lao Xiao thought the pastries were probably harmless, so he put them in his trunk as well.
Then Ouyang pulled Lao Xiao to a secluded corner under a tree next to the warehouse and said, "Friend, thank you for connecting us this time and giving Lao Xiao the remaining 30 yuan as your getaway fee." Lao Xiao felt that this businessman was indeed quite honest. Lao Xiao said, "Okay. Next time you need anything, just call me. I'll let you know if I have it. But this matter must be kept secret. If outsiders find out, my friend will refuse to sell anymore, and there's nothing I can do. You know, everyone has their own methods, so let's keep each other's secrets."
Finally, after they finished speaking, the old Taoist priest rushed over again, looked mysteriously at the bead on the back of Old Xiao's neck, and asked, "Benefactor, this bead was a gift from your friend. Could you ask him if he has any other treasures to sell?" Old Xiao replied, "I doubt he has any more. Spiritual rice and spiritual flour, but if he has any spiritual fruits later, I can let you know in advance." The old Taoist priest was extremely distressed. The Patriarch also saw the bead, his eyes shining with golden light.
Ouyang quickly took out his phone and said to Lao Xiao, "Let's add each other on WeChat. We can keep in touch privately if anything good happens." Lao Xiao thought for a moment, then took out his phone and added Ouyang on WeChat as well.
Seeing that they had all added each other on WeChat, the patriarch took out his phone and said, "Benefactor, could you add me on WeChat too?" Then Lao Xiao added him on WeChat as well, and immediately pulled the three of them into a group chat.
After that, Lao Xiao said, "I'm adding you guys to a group. You can contact each other on WeChat if anything comes up. But this matter has to be kept secret, so you'd better keep it to yourselves."
The old Taoist priest quickly nodded and said, "Of course, of course, we know what we're doing."
Ouyang echoed, "Don't worry, Lao Xiao, we won't say anything."
The patriarch said, "Thank you very much this time. I will not forget you if there are any benefits in the future."
Old Xiao smiled and said, "Alright, then we'll part ways here. We can talk in the group if you need anything." With that, Old Xiao turned and left.