A Prophet - Chapter 10 (Part 4)
Chapter 4 - The Mystery of Praying for Rain
When a new person entered the branch, they had to be vetted by the Great Master Sister. Although Jiang Feiyan had agreed verbally, she knew that whether the child could remain in the branch ultimately depended on Qiao Wumei's decision. A few days later, Jiang Feiyan brought Huang Farong back to Southern Guangdong.
This world is always wondrous: some people, despite being separated by the ends of the earth, feel like old friends at first sight; others, though standing right beside each other, pass by one another day after day without truly meeting.
Huang Farong was someone who hit it off immediately with Jiang Feiyan and Qiao Wumei. This girl was spirited and eccentric, her large eyes sparkling with vitality. Aside from being a bit thin, there was nothing to fault. The moment she met Qiao Wumei, she proactively knelt down to kowtow and call her grandmother, delighting Qiao Wumei so much that she couldn't close her mouth from smiling.
In the days that followed, Qiao Wumei and Jiang Feiyan gradually realized that they had picked up an absolute treasure! This girl with the oversized eyes was a genuine fortune-telling prodigy! This was destiny; had Huang Farong not fled her marriage in the first place, she never would have come to Fujian, and had Jiang Feiyan not passed through that narrow alley, she never would have saved her.
Within the vast, inescapable net woven by fate, encounters between people are always an inevitability hidden within pure coincidence.
After Huang Farong joined the branch, Jiang Feiyan followed convention by preparing to teach her the Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, and basic knowledge. In truth, she didn't need to study at all—she understood far more than anyone else in the branch, and even Qiao Wumei couldn't stump her with her test questions!
During that period, Qiao Wumei received an invitation to go to Liuzhou, Guangxi, to pray for rain on behalf of the local commoners, and after much deliberation, she decided to bring Huang Farong along.
When Qiao Wumei performed the rain-praying ceremony, the spectacle was immense: she erected cloud platforms, performed major magic rituals, purified the streets with water, laid down yellow earth for the paths, wrapped trees in white silk, and hoisted yellow silk banners on bamboo poles. Surrounded by a bustling retinue of over a hundred people, the divine array was displayed brilliantly to the entire world.
The cloud platform stood three zhang and three chi high. Qiao Wumei ascended the steps onto the cloud platform, holding a horsetail whisk in hand while moving her golden lotus bound feet gracefully. Two rows of Taoist priests beat drums and struck sounding stones, while bells and cymbals rang out in unison. Upon the cloud platform, the incense table, candle stands, incense burner, and yellow prayer papers were all completely assembled. Qiao Wumei first paid homage to the Queen Mother of the West, then to the God of Thunder, and finally to the Goddess of Lightning, before loudly chanting the prayer text. Down below, the county magistrate, the private secretary, and a crowd of attendants watched with reverent gazes, while the common masses bowed their heads in adoration.
As the ritual concluded, Qiao Wumei would shout out in a booming voice: "With the assistance of the Thunder God and the empowerment of the Lightning Goddess, rain will surely fall within half a month!"
In reality, Qiao Wumei relied on observing celestial phenomena to pray for rain, while setting up altars and performing rituals was merely to deceive the eyes and ears of the public. Much like Zhuge Liang borrowing the east wind at the Seven-Star Altar, gesturing and drawing diagrams up above was entirely for the benefit of the onlookers. In truth, Zhuge Liang was well-versed in astronomy and geography; by observing celestial phenomena, examining terrestrial conditions, and using the esoteric arts of the mystical gates to set up divination charts, he had long calculated that wind was bound to blow on that specific day, which was why he was ultimately able to "borrow" the wind.
In ancient times, there were no weather forecasts, and the working people accumulated a wealth of experience through their long struggle against nature. Furthermore, some observant diviners explored the regular patterns governing the relationship between the five elements and natural phenomena such as solar, stellar, lunar, and atmospheric phenomena, ultimately synthesizing a unique system of ancient Eastern forecasting.
Qiao Wumei had mastered this very technique, and the "Crossing Begonias Wind and Physiognomy Notes" contains this brilliant and fascinating record:
Where is the Thunder God? Where is the Lightning Goddess?
The Jiangxiang Faction's disciples must ponder it themselves.
A lunar halo foretells three days of wind; a solar halo foretells midnight rain.
Morning clouds mean stay indoors; evening clouds mean travel a thousand miles.
Clouds drifting east bring a mighty gale;
Clouds drifting south send heavy rain to flood boats;
Clouds drifting north plunge heaven and earth into pitch black;
Clouds drifting west make fish don straw raincoats.
Dry foundation stones make magpies chatter, while a dry month brings parched ground;
Early chatter brings wealth's arrival, while late chatter heralds funeral news.
...
The first four lines are the opening verse, meaning: "Where is the Thunder God? Where is the Lightning Goddess? The disciples of the Jiangxiang Faction can deduce it for themselves." Ancient people believed that lightning and thunder were the work of the celestial Thunder God and Lightning Goddess, hence this opening.
What follows are the specific principles for responding to events. "A lunar halo foretells three days of wind" means that if a halo appears around the moon—commonly known among the common folk as "the moon warming itself by the fire"—then wind is bound to arise within three days. By the same logic, "a solar halo foretells midnight rain" means that if a solar halo appears, rain will definitely fall at midnight that very day.
"Morning clouds mean stay indoors" advises that if you wake early and see cloud mists spreading across the horizon the moment the sun shows its head, you must absolutely not go out, as heavy rain is about to arrive. Conversely, if at sunset that same day the evening glow is enchanting and radiant with ten thousand beams of light, you can set out on your journey with complete peace of mind, as there will be no rain in the near future, hence the line: "evening clouds mean travel a thousand miles."
The next four lines are master techniques for observing cloud formations. This method is not only recorded in the "Crossing Begonias Wind and Physiognomy Notes," but is also widely circulated among the common people, with descriptions varying slightly by region. Some say this method is inaccurate, but that is simply because they have failed to grasp its core essence. The clouds mentioned in these four lines do not refer to ordinary floating wisps, but rather to overwhelming, rolling dark clouds and heavy, dense clouds.
China's overall territory lies north of the equator, with terrain higher in the west and lower in the east, and temperatures hotter in the south and colder in the north. The "Notes" state: Clouds are rain, formed when terrestrial water rises and encounters cold air; when clouds rise in the west and travel eastward, following the natural terrain downward, the collision of hot and cold air generates violent gales, giving rise to the phrase, "Clouds drifting east bring a mighty gale." Yet, does rain follow the wind? That depends on the category of the cloud formation. When clouds emerge in the north and travel southward, with cold clouds riding above and heat waves blanketing below, the meeting of cold and heat thickens the clouds until they become too heavy to hold, resulting in torrential downpours expressed as, "Clouds drifting south send heavy rain to flood boats." When clouds rise in the south and travel northward, with heat waves above and cold currents diving below, the Kun and Kun hexagrams lock together to plunge the universe into darkness, known as, "Clouds drifting north plunge heaven and earth into pitch black." When clouds rise in the east and travel westward, ascending against the terrain, driven by winds yet refusing to scatter, battered by thunder yet unmoving, accumulating dense power until they finally unleash the shock of a thunderbolt and pour down in sheets so fierce that even fish must seek shelter, it is described as, "Clouds drifting west make fish don straw raincoats."
This was the scientific explanation provided by the founding ancestors of the "Crossing Begonias" for these rhyming maxims. But ultimately, all methods rely on adaptability. Furthermore, there are numerous types of clouds—dark clouds, thick clouds, dense clouds, thin clouds, fragmented clouds, light clouds, bald clouds, cumuliform clouds, mackerel-scale clouds, hooked cirrus clouds, and so on. Without three to five years of effort, attempting to predict rain through cloud observation is nothing more than a laughing matter.
The final two lines are: "Dry foundation stones make magpies chatter, while a dry month brings parched ground." The "foundation" refers to building foundations; "dry foundation stones" means the foundation is dry, which is a manifestation of clear weather. There is a definite relationship between magpies and the weather: the clearer the sky, the more joyfully magpies chatter, and the more joyfully they chatter, the longer the period of fine weather will last.
Regarding creatures like magpies, they are always mentioned in the same breath as crows. As the common saying goes: Magpies herald good news, while crows herald mourning. In truth, magpies do not always report good news; sometimes they also transmit bad information, summarized as: "Early reports bring joy, late reports bring mourning." If magpies are chattering away on the branches of your tree first thing in the morning, good fortune is about to arrive immediately; but if they are calling back and forth from the branches at nightfall, dire misfortune is afoot, which is why the definitive verdict states: "Early chatter brings wealth's arrival, while late chatter heralds funeral news."
These insights were all accumulated through the long-term experiences of countless Abao members within the "Crossing Begonias" over hundreds of years. Today, some can be explained scientifically, while others still defy explanation.
Among all the techniques for predicting weather in ancient times, the absolute pinnacle of mastery was "smelling the foundation to know the heavenly timing"—the ability to accurately deduce the exact timing of wind and rain based on the moisture and scent of building foundations. The inventor of this method was the Tang dynasty feng shui master Yuan Tiangang. Yuan Tiangang excelled at discerning the scent and moisture of soil, which was naturally an essential requirement for any feng shui master, but Yuan Tiangang's ability to extrapolate terrestrial conditions backward to determine heavenly timing was something ordinary people could never achieve. Standing amidst fertile fields, he could pinch a handful of earth, sniff it with his nose, and instantly make accurate forecasts for future weather.
Huang Farong accidentally mastered this skill of "smelling the foundation to know the heavenly timing." Back home in her childhood, her parents ignored her and her neighbors paid her no mind. When bored, she would squat by the base of the wall to watch cockroaches fight, and inadvertently discovered the relationship between the varying degrees of moisture emitted by building foundations and the scale of the rainfall. Over time, she figured out a complete set of regular patterns.
After observing the stellar and cloud phenomena in Guangxi that day, Qiao Wumei knew with certainty that rain would fall within fifteen days, after which she put on a show of performing rituals and finally informed the local magistrate: "Within half a month, rain will definitely fall!"
As the ritual concluded, Huang Farong quietly tugged at Qiao Wumei's sleeve and said, "Grandmother, I think it won't even take half a month; rain will definitely fall within ten days."
Qiao Wumei suffered a shock in her heart: Could this child be even more formidable than herself?
Sure enough, at noon on the tenth day, ink-black clouds covered the entire sky, and torrential rain immediately poured down in sheets. Qiao Wumei happily pulled Huang Farong into her embrace.
"My granddaughter is truly extraordinary." This woman over fifty years of age finally found a long-lost sense of domestic familial joy in Huang Farong, also compensating for the emptiness left by her prolonged lack of motherhood.
Jiang Feiyan once said with a tinge of sorrow to Qiao Wumei: "Even if the child Farong never becomes an Abao, she is destined to live a life of abundance in the future. Relying on this genuine skill of hers, she could completely walk the straight path, steadily pursuing her research in the studies of change, and she would undoubtedly become a generational grandmaster."
Qiao Wumei replied, "Mixing in the ranks of the Abao does mean she took a crooked path, but this is also her fate. Once you step in, washing your hands clean is impossible until death—that is our rule." Fearing that Jiang Feiyan might someday feel a surge of compassion and release Huang Farong, Qiao Wumei had to prepare her mentally in advance.
When Grandfather came to propose marriage, Jiang Feiyan decided to bear the pain of parting with her beloved, which was also to repay the debt of gratitude for Grandfather rescuing them during Qiao Wumei's funeral procession the previous year. Jiang Feiyan cared deeply for her adoptive daughter; had Grandfather not come to propose marriage, she never would have let her go.
Huang Farong was already eighteen years old, having reached the age for marriage. Jiang Feiyan trusted Grandfather, so she arranged for Huang Farong and Zhang Zizhan to meet.
When it came to matters of romance and marriage between men and women, the "Jiangxiang Faction" was actually quite open-minded; they never practiced arranged marriages, and a union could only be finalized when both parties found each other pleasing to the eye.
Courtship between men and women in ancient times was not like today, where people dared to eat, drink, walk hand in hand, or even kiss upon their very first meeting; ancient customs emphasized side-viewing and direct-viewing.
Side-viewing was the first step: the prospective bride and groom would be placed with one person outside a window and the other inside, stealing a quick glance at each other to see if there was any initial chemistry. If the first look revealed someone completely outside their preferred type, there was no need to converse further.
After Zhang Zizhan and Huang Farong completed their side-viewing, they felt quite positive about each other.
Consequently, Grandfather and Jiang Feiyan arranged for their direct-viewing meeting.
During direct-viewing, other people were not permitted to be present because both newcomers would be shy, and the presence of outsiders would cause awkwardness and hinder communication.
Jiang Feiyan gathered the two of them inside a room and simply went outside with Grandfather.
The two of them truly experienced love at first sight, feeling as though they had known each other in a past life and had come together in this one to reunite. The pair chattered away animatedly inside the room for two whole hours, and as dusk approached, Jiang Feiyan and Grandfather exchanged a knowing smile, realizing that this match was successfully made.
That evening, Jiang Feiyan hosted a banquet to entertain Grandfather. During the feast, Jiang Feiyan said half-jokingly, "Grandfather is already past thirty, has he never thought about securing a marriage for himself as well?"
Grandfather smiled bitterly, shook his head, and sighed: "Our grand enterprise remains unfulfilled, achievements are unaccomplished, and reputations are unearned. Having wasted thirty years in vain, how can I dare speak of personal romance?"
Upon hearing this, a flash of disappointment crossed Jiang Feiyan's eyes.
One month later, Huang Farong married from the "Crossing Begonias" into the "Muzi Lotus." Although she was not her biological daughter, after four years of living together, Jiang Feiyan still hid away in her room and cried in secret on the day Huang Farong was married off.
With the Eastern and Southern Factions united in marriage, the people of the Western and Northern Factions also came knocking on their doors to offer congratulations, making this affair a celebrated tale within the "Jiangxiang Faction."