Dawn was just breaking when Xu Han strapped a basket, a bucket, and a bamboo cage to his back and left the courtyard.
Was it really necessary to bring so many things just to step outside?
To Old Xu, none of these three items were superfluous.
The basket was for collecting medicinal herbs, the bucket for holding Golden Juice, and the bamboo cage for wild vegetables—each had its specific purpose.
Walking on the mountain road, when he saw a shepherd's purse plant, it was certainly to be placed in the bamboo cage.
Walking in the woods, when he found a mushroom, it too was to go into the bamboo cage.
Next to the mushroom grew a mullein—this was a medicinal herb and had to be gathered in the basket.
Beside the mullein was a patch of unkempt grass. Crouching in the grass was a man named Gong Ziming, a disciple of the Saint; he had to be put into the Golden Juice bucket.
