Assignment 1, Jin Rou

When writing the biography of the Master for children, I interviewed his nephew and great niece and integrated the information as follows--the way it could have been. Please let me know how it works for you.

Illustrations are by Joseph Wang from Dung Bei.

Nephew: The school was not actually in his house; it was too small and full of relatives, but a neighbor lent him a building. Family made sandals from wheat straw.

Toad Hall

At the age of eighteen, Yu Shu leaves school to help his aging parents on the farm. One summer, late in the afternoon, they are sitting in front of the cottage, braiding straw into sandals. Some poor children come by leading an ox home from the fields. A green horsefly buzzes around the ox’s ear. Watching them, Yu Shu has an idea. “I am going to start a free school so the poor farm children can be educated. Right here in the house.”

“Fine,” says his mother. “Only it will be crowded, with all the relatives living here.”

“You could get a job teaching in the private school,” says his father, twisting a piece of straw into a strap. “And make good money.”

“I don’t want to teach for money,” says Yu Shu, slipping on his new sandals. “I just want to help people.”

“Still stubborn,” his father says, chuckling to himself. “If anyone could start a free school, it would be you.”

It’s a hot summer and there is plenty of work to do. Yu Shu and Xizhen make desks and a blackboard. Good Man Pan buys paper, brushes and ink for each student.

September comes and with it school. After working in the fields all day, long-legged children of all ages run down the zigzag path that leads from the village to the new school. The zigzag path keeps the good luck from flowing out of the village.

Holding their ink-filled brushes, the children copy the characters that their teacher carefully writes on the blackboard. Day after day, he bends over their desks, guiding them with every stroke. He teaches them everything he knows, never taking a cent.

More students come, so a neighbor lends him a bigger building. In the autumn, tiny toads hide under the rocks in the yard. When the children turn the rocks over, hundreds of toads hop out. They name the school, “Toad Hall”.

Nephew's account of life on the farm: grew barley, wheat, millet, sorghum and miniature corn;grain was hoisted onto roof top to dry; Yu Shu shooed away the crows; going to market. Land was flat; mountains were too far away to see them clearly.

#3 Planting Barley

“

"Wake up, my youngest son,” his mother calls. “Today is special.”

It isn't quite dawn. Yu Shu stretches and rubs his eyes. He is tall for a boy of seven. “It's not light yet,” he says, yawning.

“There are certain things a young boy must do,” says his mother. “Today you will learn to plant barley.”

“Hooray!” he cries and jumps out of bed.

Trotting behind his father, he scatters seeds along the rows. Insects buzz and fly, humming in the yellow sun. The sweet smell of the rich, brown earth makes Yu Shu happy. Drinking in the fresh air, he says, “Honorable Father, when I grow up, I want to be a farmer like you.”

“Hao ba! Very well,” says his father. “But I warn you, your miserable old father is hard to please. A son of mine must work hard and not cry. And you should play with other kids, eh?” Yu Shu stops the crying and begins to work.

Work on the farm is hard. Up before dawn, he zigzags back and forth to the well, carrying buckets of water for his mother, as she lovingly waters the young cabbages.

In the autumn the dandelions turn to fluff and the yellow grain ripens. Yu Shu helps his brothers to harvest the grain, then hoist it onto the rooftop to dry. He shoos the birds away—for this is the work of farm children in China.

Market day comes. With handcarts overflowing, the Bai men trundle the grain to the big town of (Lalin???). Yu Shu trots close behind them trying to keep up, dodging horses’ hooves and peddlers carrying baskets on poles across their shoulders. A sea of people fills the streets, talking, laughing, nudging, and munching. Squatting beside the handcarts, Yu Shu bargains along with his father and brothers until all the grain is sold. The yellow moon shows them the way home.

Interview with his great niece about the Moon Festival:.

But the day is not over. When the Bais arrive home, the cottage is filled with relatives chatting and laughing with each other and children tumbling in and out the doorway. It is the night of the Moon Festival. Music is played on a pipau, favorite songs are sung, and poetry is recited. Noodles and grapes are served in the light of the yellow moon, and moon cakes are offered to the Moon Goddess. And at midnight, people make a wish to the goddess for a better harvest the next year.

Interview with niece: We filled the shed full of corn stalks, and in the winter we burned them in the kang to keep warm.

The Fox Spirit

One morning Yu Shu’s mother doesn’t feel well. She cannot move or turn over in bed. “Don’t worry,” she says. Yu Shu leans over to hear her. Her words are no more than a whisper. “I’ll be well soon. Go on.”

But he doesn’t go. He stays by her side, only leaving to teach school. He feeds and bathes her, and turns her over. On long cold nights, he stays awake and stokes the kang with corn stalks to keep her warm. He prays and fasts, but she doesn’t get better.

Sources: Records of the Venerable Hsuan Hua's Life, BTTS.

In Memory of the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, "The Life and Deeds of Venerable Hsuan Hua,"

page 43. BTTS, 1996.