After confirming that everything was fine at home, Qu Zan headed toward the temple.
His one-day leave was now over.
Qu Zan returned to the Servants' Courtyard, first reporting to the steward to end his leave, then going to work. For an Attendant Monk, getting a day off was something he would never even have dared dream of.
"If only I could become a Scholar Monk soon." Qu Zan could not help thinking of the Dharma assembly three months away.
Scholar Monks had considerably more time at their own disposal than Attendant Monks.
"The Lion's Roar Heart Mantra I comprehended while practicing the Sutra of the Excellent Lion's Roar this time has considerable power to subdue and crush evil entities, and to protect me.
"If I practice other Buddhist scriptures, could I comprehend more mantras and incantations? One more incantation would mean one more means of saving my life." Anticipation stirred in Qu Zan's heart.
"Gyatso, you're back."
Qu Zan arrived at the little courtyard. His work today was carrying water. As soon as he entered, he saw a beaming Doje.
The little, plump monk was struggling to carry water.
Qu Zan nodded with a smile, then joined Doje in carrying water.
After working for roughly two hours, his back and waist ached a little, and he rested at the side for a while.
Qu Zan took a cloth bundle from inside his robes and unwrapped it layer by layer, revealing dried milk curds with a tangy fragrance.
Qu Zan shared some with Doje, who loved eating dried milk curds.
The days passed one after another. Qu Zan worked during the day, tempering his body, and recited scriptures and meditated at night, cultivating his mind and consciousness.
"You'll go work in the Lay Buddhist Courtyard tonight. They need more hands there."
In the morning, the steward monk spoke to Qu Zan's group of Attendant Monks.
Doje said excitedly, "Junior Brother, we're in luck! We get to go somewhere as nice as the Lay Buddhist Courtyard."
Qu Zan had heard something about the Lay Buddhist Courtyard. Only powerful nobles and wealthy merchants were qualified to live year-round at Corpse Camel Temple with a courtyard residence of their own.
That evening, Qu Zan and the others were brought to the Lay Buddhist Courtyard.
The surroundings were exceptionally quiet and secluded, divided into many private residences and gardens. A steward led Qu Zan to the rear kitchen.
The steward said, "Change out of your Attendant Monk robes and put on these silk clothes."
Though the Attendant Monks had questions in their eyes, none dared ask, and they could only change their clothes themselves.
The steward explained, "Your monastic robes are too shabby. Put on these brand-new silk robes. After you finish serving at tonight's banquet, return all the silk clothes to me.
"Rest assured, you won't have come to this thangka Dharma assembly for nothing today. Each of you will be rewarded with five taels of secret silver."
Hearing that there would actually be a monetary reward, the Attendant Monks' eyes lit up with delight.
Qu Zan's heart stirred. Five taels just like that. With this many people, who knows how much the tips alone will cost for one evening? This Madam Yangjin really is wealthy!
The steward continued, "You're all quick-witted people. Whatever you see or hear in the residence today must not be repeated outside. Understood?"
"I won't hide it from you. Madam Yangjin is Dongzi Zongben's wife.
"For this private banquet and Dharma assembly, a thangka needs to be consecrated and ritually installed. No serfs may be hired, lest their filth defile the assembly. That is why you monks were summoned.
"There's no need to tell you how fabulously wealthy Madam Yangjin is. If your service at tonight's banquet pleases her, there may well be more rewards.
"If you anger her, you know what will happen to you."
The steward was well versed in managing subordinates. First he offered a sweet date, then followed it with the stick and carrot, rousing all the Attendant Monks' enthusiasm for their work.
A dzong was an administrative unit in Mìdì, roughly equivalent to a county in his previous life. A Dzongben was the head of a dzong.
A single dzong was not to be underestimated. Its rulers truly were local emperors.
One Attendant Monk said, "Dongzi Zongben's household has seven estates alone, tens of thousands of mu of farmland, and nearly a thousand people under him farming, herding, working as craftsmen, and serving as household slaves..."
Doje and the others could not stop clicking their tongues in amazement.
Ever since entering the Lay Buddhist Courtyard, Qu Zan had felt as though he had arrived in another world.
High walls surrounded the courtyards, where ancient trees, spruces, alpine rhododendrons, and cosmos grew, with flowers and plants blooming in every season.
The main building was a three-story stone tower, with white-plastered walls and auspicious clouds and guardian deities painted along its eaves and window frames.
The walls had a vermilion background and were covered in religious murals. Thick carpets covered the floors, their colorful patterns set against red, their weave fine and dense, silent underfoot and warm.
The wooden doors were heavy, edged in copper, with copper door rings... Gilt copper standing oil lamps burned inside the rooms.
Qu Zan's memories had always been filled with the impoverished lives of serfs and Attendant Monks crowded onto communal sleeping platforms. How could he ever have imagined that such beautiful, comfortable rooms existed in this world?
The courtyard had already been cleared of everyone not involved, and a ritual platform had been erected.
Himalayan cypress, benzoin, and saffron were burned, and an altar-purification mantra was chanted to clear away all foul influences and obstructing conditions.
The fragrances of medicinal incense, sang incense, and butter lingered without dispersing...
Under a Lama's direction, Qu Zan and the other Attendant Monks arranged the offering altar and set out the offering vessels.
The Buddhist shrine, ritual implements, medicinal offerings, and scriptures were all in place. Guardian mantra wheels stood at the four corners, and banners bearing the Hundred-Syllable Mantra and the Sunlight Heart Mantra covered the beams and pillars.
On the offering altar sat a gilt casket, wrapped in a pure white khata and tightly covered with bright yellow ritual silk, looking exceedingly solemn and dignified.
After Qu Zan and Doje finished arranging everything, they were assigned to stand to one side beneath the covered walkway, waiting to be summoned to work at any moment.
Looking at the delicacies and pastries on the offering table, Doje could not help swallowing.
Qu Zan teased him, "Senior Brother, mind how you look..."
Doje said, "Junior Brother, I asked around. There'll be a banquet after this Dharma assembly, too. They're hosting the temple monks who perform the consecration."
"We're Attendant Monks, not proper monks. They won't invite us..."
"That's true. We Attendant Monks have to stay until the very end. When we clear away the leftovers, we'll always be able to get some scraps to eat."
Doje swallowed.
"This trip was really worth it." Doje smiled as he said, "We get secret silver, leftovers to eat, and a spectacle to watch. Do you know what's inside that gilt casket?"
Qu Zan said, "Since this is a thangka Dharma assembly, and judging by the size of that casket, it should be a scroll thangka!"
"That's what I heard, too!" Doje said. "I heard that thangka is even an ancestral heirloom of Madam Yangjin's family. It's called the Sun Salutation or something. Word has it that there's a profound secret hidden in it."
"A profound secret? What secret?" Qu Zan asked, puzzled.
"Who knows? I only heard someone working in the rear courtyard mention it in passing. He said Madam Yangjin takes this thangka out every year and holds a Dharma assembly, inviting great lamas to examine it and see whether they can find her family's secret... I'd guess it's most likely a hoax," Doje said.
Qu Zan shook his head and said, "Who knows? Perhaps it's real. Lineages like these in Mìdì have endured for hundreds of years. They're bound to have some secrets in the family that outsiders aren't told."
"But this Dharma assembly really is on a grand scale. Just think, even we're getting five taels each. Who knows how much they'll give each of those High Monks and Scholar Monks!"
"Add in all those materials, and they must be spending at least a thousand taels tonight!"
Looking at this grand Dharma assembly, where over a thousand taels would be spent in a single evening, Doje could not help going blank for a moment.
If those thousand-plus taels were used to buy land and livestock, he truly could not spend it all in an entire lifetime.
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