Old Man Li listened and said "Wonderful" three times.
Tang Sanzang continued, "There's another thing. Every year, many persimmons go unpicked. We could gather them, package them, and offer them as a perk at the inn."
Old Man Li asked, "How should we offer this perk?"
Tang Sanzang said, "We could do it like this: whenever guests stay at the inn, we could give them a basket of persimmons when they leave."
"That would solve the persimmon problem and leave the guests with a good impression. They'd surely come back again, and wouldn't that spread the word about Seven Absolutes Mountain? That way, everyone's standard of living would improve too."
Old Man Li said with a smile, "The Master always knows what to do. You've shown us such great kindness—how could I possibly repay you?"
Tang Sanzang smiled too. "Monks need no repayment. I'm simply acting on the kindness in my heart."
Seeing that Tang Sanzang had put it that way, Old Man Li said no more.
Then Old Man Li suddenly thought of something else. "The eight hundred li of Persimmon Ditch can't be cleared in a single day. Please stay here a little longer and let us show you some hospitality."
Tang Sanzang couldn't refuse, so he agreed.
Two days later, Persimmon Ditch on Seven Absolutes Mountain was gone, and Tang Sanzang and his disciples bade Old Man Li farewell.
He told Old Man Li, "You'll have to finish improving the road ahead yourselves. We're leaving now."
When Ye Chen and Tang Sanzang's party set off, the whole village came out to see them off again. This time, the villagers followed them all the way to the foot of Seven Absolutes Mountain. Tang Sanzang told them to stop, and only then did they return, reluctant to part.
While