Splash, splash.
Bright moonlight shone down. Soft green grass pushed out of the earth, only to be trampled into the dust.
Inside the temple, monks bustled back and forth without pause, each wielding a large ladle to stir the pools. Ice chunks clattered together amid a chorus of shouts, and with every cry, Little Monks hurried to and fro carrying great buckets.
"Quick, quick, quick! Not enough, not enough! Mix in more ice water, more ice water! Remember to chop the ice into small pieces so it melts faster!"
"Whew, a hundred catties of Moon Spring Water mixed with ten thousand catties of Jade Spring Water—what exhausting work. Have you figured out which households we're delivering to today?"
"Figured out, figured out. Lord Bayi's, Lord Yangjin Lamu's, and Lord Wangji's households. The ladies of those families want to use it for baths tomorrow night, so they can attend the master's Auspicious Day in ten days. They've been urging us fiercely. The great mastiffs have already been arranged over there; we're just waiting for the masters to finish diluting it."
Clang!
The grating noise pierced the air.
Everyone stopped working and saw a wooden bucket toppled over, spilling white snow like sugar across the ground. A Little Monk climbed up from the floor.
"You fool! How many times have I told you? I want ice water! Ice water! Why did you bring snow? Ice is pure, without dust. Snow isn't pure—it has dust! Whose Gece are you?"
The monk seized the novice by the ear and cursed viciously. He pulled so hard that he nearly tore half the ear off, great beads of blood dropping down.
A monk beside him set down his wooden ladle. "Enough, enough. You're a Gelong—why lose your temper with a Gece? If the master sees you