Tap, tap, tap...
Creak—
"Uncle, I brought the things."
"Oh, cough, cough, cough... Show them, show them... cough, cough, cough..."
Creak—
Tap.
"This is it. These are our family's old land deeds and house deeds, and this is the family tree. There weren't any famous people in it, so it's not worth much."
"You... cough... take a look at this... this... cough, cough, cough..."
"Uncle, are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
"Did half the people in your family's generation change their names?"
"Yes. It was this generation. Link the names together, and read the characters in sequence."
"West tree, eastward, three hundred... Is this a route?"
"That's right. From the big tree at the westernmost point, go three hundred steps east... cough..."
"This is the key point—the cave where the stone Buddhas are hidden?"
"Yes. That's where... our ancestors guarded a secret. The generation that changed their names was the older generation back then. They did it to remember the debt of gratitude. If one day—if one day things became peaceful and safe—they were to make this known, bring all the masters out, and enshrine them... They were benefactors of Green Tea Manor... Every one of them was a benefactor of Green Tea Manor..."
"Mr. An, what do you mean?"
"Sigh... It happened a long time ago... Back then, Green Tea Manor wasn't called Green Tea Manor. There was a huge temple here, bustling with worshippers. The abbot had caught the eye of a powerful official—one of the most powerful men of that time... I don't know exactly what happened. It was so long ago... My great-grandfather told me that the temple had received a tea tree, an old tea tree, very precious. The monks cared for it diligently, and tea farmers sent by that powerful official looked after it