Yang Fan was smart and studious since childhood, especially good at business. During the reign of Kangxi, the society was stable and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, which was a rare time of peace and prosperity. A?vagho?a old street area is densely populated and developed in trade. Ships are mainly used to transport goods in water towns. Ships are not only slow, but also have limited cargo capacity, which is far from meeting people's needs. Yang Fan organized dozens of young and middle-aged villagers to form a "swinging motorcade" to help transport goods. Later generations called this profession "rocking a boat". Yang Fan earned the "first bucket of gold" in his life by "rocking the boat". Later, the fleet not only carried goods, but also carried people, and the destination became farther and farther. Over time, the Yang family became rich.
According to Jiaqing's Shimen County Records, "In June of the ninth year (Kangxi), heavy rain flooded crops ... In the summer and autumn of the tenth year, there was a drought ... In August of the eleventh year, crops were injured". After years of disasters, people's livelihood is in a desperate situation, and the only grain reserves are exhausted, so the government has no time to provide disaster relief. Willow trees grow in front of Yang Fan's house. He ordered people to cook porridge under the tree and set up a stall to deliver food at the intersection. People around me heard about it and flocked to tide over the difficulties together. Yang Fan also opened some houses in the backyard, which were specially used to house the homeless and send clothes and food. People who receive relief are very grateful.
After the war between Ming and Qing Dynasties, A?vagho?a Temple, which was built in the late Tang Dynasty, was severely damaged in the early Qing Dynasty. In the 14th year of Kangxi (1675), in November, "Yang Fan and Zhu Ai (referring to the elderly) hit the imperial court by mistake" and raised funds from the county government at that time, demanding that A?vagho?a Temple be rebuilt, "please humble and persuade its people" (Jiaqing's Shimen County Records). Three months later, A?vagho?a Temple was rebuilt and completed.
In ancient times, building bridges and paving roads was regarded as great kindness and virtue, benefiting future generations. With the development of business, the number of people passing by Avaghoa is increasing day by day, and the Buyun Bridge in the east of the original Avaghoa Temple is becoming more and more crowded. Not far west of A?vagho?a Temple, Yang Fan took out the silver coins he had accumulated for many years, invited masons to organize labor, and built a stone bridge named Deng Yunqiao. Kuang's "Shimen County Records" contains: "A?vagho?a Temple spans Dengyun Bridge." In A?vagho?a today, Xi Shou is the river in front of the temple. Later generations called Buyun Bridge and Dengyun Bridge "A?vagho?a Double Bridges". Unfortunately, Deng Yunqiao was later destroyed by Taiping rebels, and now he stays alone in Qiao Yun.
At the end of Kangxi, Yang Fan died. The whole village and nearby villagers stood in line to see them off, and the funeral procession stretched for miles, crying. What's more, someone built a tomb next to it and kept it for three years.
Yang Fan believes in Buddhism. According to legend, there are eight golden buddhas in his family. Up to now, A?vagho?a: there is still a proverb, "If you have no food, go to the willow tree;" It's no use, find the golden bodhisattva. "Willow" and "Golden Bodhisattva" here refer to Yang Fan. It can be seen that its reputation is still enduring today.