A pot of white porridge is placed on the small stove, still steaming, exuding an alluring fragrance at night in the mountains.
Lin Jue very lacked the experience of staying in this world and staying in hotels, so he read more and talked less. After putting down his books, he followed the people around him, each took a thick bowl in his hand, and queued up to receive the porridge.
The person making the porridge was still the monk who led the way. He held a small melon ladle with a long handle and only scooped out half a ladle at a time, which was just enough for a bowl.
There is another younger monk standing nearby. Whenever the porridge is scooped out, he is responsible for adding a few slices of pickled radish and a piece of fermented bean curd to everyone's bowls. As soon as they are put into the bowl, they are immediately overwhelmed by the porridge soup.
"Thank you, Master."
Every business traveler says this.
When I arrived at Lin Jue, I also held the bowl and stood in front of the pot.
The monk smiled slightly, but then he sank the ladle to the bottom, fished it out slowly, and then scooped it up again. It was dry food that was obviously different from the previous porridge.
"Thank you Master!"
Lin Jue couldn't help but be stunned and quickly thanked him.
"Amitabha……"
The monk saluted with one hand and smiled.
The same few slices of pickled radish and a piece of fermented bean curd were placed on top of the porridge.
Lin Jue continued to thank him, took the bowl and went out. Seeing that many people before him were sitting on the stone steps under the eaves, he also walked over. When he saw someone making room for him, he also sat down.
Many business travelers obviously brought dry food. There were also a few boiled eggs and a lot of tarts in Lin Jue's book. There were also a few fruits left from the third aunt, but before he could take them from the book, he
Immediately, a businessman decisively handed over dried meat and tart cakes, and politely asked him to try them.
"Thank you so much..."
"It's our turn to thank Mr. Xiaolang."
"You're welcome, you're welcome. I didn't do anything, we just walked together for a while... In this temple, we eat meat and fish, is that okay?"
"There's nothing wrong with it, it's always been like this, let alone let's sit outside." someone said.
"We are not monks. We don't need to eat fast. We just don't have any contempt for the Buddha in our hearts. We just eat when we need to. We are on the road every day. How can we live without meat?" someone else said.
"I see."
Lin Jue didn't say much, lowered his head and started eating.
It was an early summer night, exactly sixteen. It cleared up after the rain, and a full moon appeared above the head, illuminating the clouds like light ink gauze and a circle of colored light. The temperature became very cool, and there were sounds of eating in the courtyard.
, which made Lin Jue, who had been on the road yesterday and today, feel calmer.
Although pickled radish, fermented bean curd, and white rice porridge are light, they are undoubtedly much more comfortable in the mouth and stomach than the dry food eaten on the road.
I actually enjoyed it for a while.
Apart from eating, the atmosphere is also good at this time.
After seeing the demons and ghosts, everyone walked at night and arrived at a safe place. Even those they didn't know before seemed to have become more familiar with them now. They chatted casually, and people often came to share food with Lin Jue.
"A mule needs more than ten strings these days, right?"
"It's more than that! That was last year's price. At the beginning of this year, it had grown to more than 20 pigeons!"
"What's wrong?"
"We need mules and horses to transport military rations to the west!"
"..."
At this moment, the short middle-aged man with three beards came over and looked around. A business traveler pointed him in the direction. He followed and looked over, and then he saw Lin Jue.
It's nothing more than a thank you for the gift.
"Benefactor! Thanks to you, we have saved our family a meal. Please accept it as a favor and treat it as a burden along the way!"
What was handed over was a bunch of copper coins.
At a glance, many business travelers knew that there were hundreds of them. They all walked together with Lin Jue, and they were now considered acquaintances. Although they had no objection to him returning the mule after picking it up, they also hoped that he could
After receiving some extra thanks, someone immediately spoke up and said jokingly:
"How much does a mule cost? How much does this cost for you?"
"My dear, this is a great way to save money."
When the man heard this, he felt embarrassed.
Lin Jue didn't say anything or refuse. He smiled, stretched out his hand, accepted the money, and said thank you.
It's a benefit to some extent.
This person really made it right——
What Lin Jue lacks now is money.
Immediately, everyone started shouting and asking him to tell him how he got the mule and how he frightened the monster. Lin Jue couldn't stand their questions, so he answered truthfully.
Not long after, the monk who first came to open the door for them came over again, clasped his hands in front of them, chanted the Buddha's name, and then said: "There are too many donors coming to stay tonight, and even a few of them have to sleep."
We don’t have a bed, so we have to ask the donors to squeeze in for one night, which is really poor hospitality.”
"It's okay! Just have a place to sleep!"
"At least it can protect you from wind and rain."
"It's not cold today, so if I don't sleep, I'll trouble Master."
While everyone was talking, they took out some copper coins from their pockets. Each person had a dozen or more coins, and they all handed them to the master.
"Sesame oil money..."
This is what everyone said.
Lin Jue looked on and roughly understood——
This is both a temple and a hotel. There is no reason not to pay for accommodation, but it is also a little more cover-up. Asking for sesame oil money sounds good and looks good.
Lin Jue then quickly took out a bunch of copper coins given by the short middle-aged man, untied the rope, grabbed a dozen at random, and handed them out.
The monk also took it with a smile, thanked him, but stopped in front of him, bowed and said: "The poor monk observes that the donor is a scholar and not very old. He is crowded with these donors who run business all year round. I am afraid that the donor will not
I'm so used to it, but it just so happens that there is an attic in our courtyard that has been vacant for a long time. If the benefactor dares to live in it, the poor monk will clean it for the benefactor."
As soon as the monk finished speaking, a businessman next to him interrupted:
"Hey Master! Since there is an attic, why not let us live in it, but just give it to this young man?"
"Amitabha." The monk continued to recite the Buddha's name, politely, "The donor does not know something. The attic in our backyard is not allowed to go to the attic in our backyard unless you are a man of outstanding virtue and scholars."
"Why does this master still look down on others?"
The monk smiled and said nothing, then continued to lower his head and looked at Lin Jue.
"Why don't you dare?" Lin Jue was really not used to being crowded with strangers, especially a group of strangers, and he was looking for a place to read ancient books, so he agreed, "It's just that the attic has been dusty for a long time. If you specially come here for
If I'm here, I shouldn't ask Master to clean it for me. Just give me a broom and a feather duster."
"The donor is a sensible person."
The monk put his hands together and saluted him.
Lin Jue also quickly stood up and returned the greeting.
The moonlight became clearer and clearer. After everyone finished eating, they returned to their rooms one after another. Lin Jue also led the monks to the attic.
In addition to the books on his back, he also had a broom and a feather duster in his hands.
"Thank you."
After Lin Jue thanked him, he took the oil lamp and walked into the attic.
Under the illumination of the oil lamp, there were a lot of debris piled up on one side of the first floor of the attic, and on the other side was the wooden ladder leading upstairs. Sure enough, it was covered with a layer of dust and had some cobwebs. It looked like no one had been here for a while.
.
Lin Jue lives in the attic.
However, if someone is kind enough to give you accommodation, why would he only clean the few feet where he sleeps? So Lin Jue simply put down the book and started cleaning from the bottom.
There was a smell of dust all the way, and the oil lamps went up step by step.
Arriving at the second floor, Lin Jue first placed the oil lamp in a higher position, turned around and took a look, but was stunned——
The floor downstairs is still dusty and covered with cobwebs. Not to mention how much has been swept out, I'm afraid I spent a lot of money just eating, but the upstairs is clean and spotless, the displays are also very neat, and the walls and
There were actually many pictures painted on the floor, mostly of bamboos, lotus, pines and willows.
There are even some poems in the title.
"?"
Lin Jue looked around and didn't know the reason.
Did some monks secretly come here to rest and play?
Or are there ghosts in the temple?
Lin Jue didn't know why, so he went down temporarily, brought the books up, and checked them carefully upstairs.
There wasn't much stuff upstairs, just a bed with a coffee table in the middle.
There are some wooden bookshelves against the wall, but they are very empty. There are only a few common Buddhist scriptures on them. One of them has traces of being read. Not only can you turn to that page as soon as you open it,
And there is a bamboo leaf sandwiched in the middle as a bookmark.
Maybe there were some clutter originally, but someone cleaned them up and piled them all on the top of the bookshelf, out of sight.
If nothing else, it's clean and quiet.
"Now that it's here, let's make peace with it."
Lin Jue took out a few books from the bookcase and placed them on the wooden table in the middle of the couch. He also took out a knife, took two pieces of clothing to use as pillowcases and quilts, and placed them on the edge of the couch.
He even made some gestures.
The couch is about two or three feet wide, so it's definitely fine for one person to lie down on. Its design function is also to sleep on it.
It's just not that convenient to turn over.
But you can’t be picky, it’s better than being crowded into a room with a group of people down there, maybe sleeping on the floor or sitting against the wall.
So Lin Jue took the oil lamp and put it on the wooden table. He first looked around the room, flipping through a few books at random, and flipping through ancient wordless books in between.
Sure enough, no new page appeared.
Lin Jue fell into thinking.
It seems that it is indeed——
I had a strange feeling that something was wrong with this wordless ancient book, and there were signs of pages recording spells.
As for tonight...
Lin Jue thought back to his previous two times.
One time, he inhaled the smoke breathed by the monster, one time, the fire breathed by the old man burned his hair, and another time, he clearly saw the process of the old man absorbing the fire breath. Did he need his body to come into contact with a certain door?
Can the reaction of the ancient book be caused by a spell, or by seeing the general operation of the spell?
There are too few cases to be sure.
Lin Jue sat here thinking.
"..."
In fact, it is just a thought and has no meaning.
Lin Jue shook his head, put aside his thoughts, simply took out the package from the book, and counted it carefully.
When the younger generation goes out to study, the elders must be prepared to pay for it.
The aunt originally wanted to give Lin Jue all the twenty taels of silver he got from the Wang family in Hengcun, but her uncle was recovering from a long illness and the family also needed money. Naturally, Lin Jue couldn't take it. They pushed and argued for a long time before finally finally
I accepted a piece of silver stuffed by the aunt, which was about five taels, plus more than two hundred cash.
But he quietly put the piece of silver back.
Therefore, I actually only brought more than 200 coins.
There is a huge gap between the rich and the poor in this world. Even in the village, there are prominent and wealthy families like the Wang family in Hengcun, and ordinary families like the Lin family who cannot afford medicine when they get sick.
When it comes to money specifically, most people don't earn much money throughout the year, and of course they don't use much money. But when you go out and really need to spend money, the money seems very insufficient.
What Lin Jue was thinking was that if he really couldn't do it, he would go to the city to perform the fire-breathing technique and earn some traveling expenses. In addition, it was early summer and the berries in the mountains were gradually ripening. He would spend more time looking for them, even if the mountains and rivers were exhausted.
It's easy to starve yourself, and if you suffer, you'll suffer.
If the family has more money, the uncle will be less stressed, and the cousin will be able to marry a wife earlier and live his own life.
You owe them what you owe, not what they owe you.
Therefore, Lin Jue was economical all the way.
Excluding expenses, there are just two hundred cash left. Tonight, after receiving a thank you gift from the short middle-aged man and giving him the sesame oil money for staying overnight, there are still four hundred and thirty-five cash left. The total is six hundred and thirty-five cash.
.
The sound of counting money all over the house late at night...
The whole room sighed again...
Lin Jue carefully divided them into seven parts and strung them together with seven ropes, each one worth 100 yuan and one with 35 yuan for easy access.
I have to say that money these days is so heavy that it really feels like ownership when you hold it in your hands.
Although it is only a few hundred words.
As for the mules and horses he got tonight, Lin Jue never thought about taking them to the market and selling them——
Even dogs know how to pay back, so how can he be inferior to a dog?
"well……"
The young scholar collected the money.
Outside the window are the lights of the temple, the mountain forest under the moon, the winding official road like a jade belt, and the wind blowing through the bamboo forest, blowing coolness.
Gradually, the lights of the temple dimmed.
The birds have stopped chirping, and apart from the wind and the chirping of insects, not even a single noise can be heard.
It is a familiar summer night.
At some point, Lin Jue looked out the window.
This is the world——
Without the moonlight, it would be pitch black here.
There aren't many interesting things to do.
Lin Jue gradually lay down. Perhaps because he encountered a monster on the way today, which was so exciting, he didn't feel sleepy at all. He could only open his eyes and let his thoughts wander.
If he had lived in the past, he would have probably liked such an environment, and would even sometimes leave the place where he lived to find such an environment. But when he really got here, as time went by, he naturally understood that the prosperous and dreamy world in his memory was the only place where he could live.
It is the result of progress.
Winters are so cold that your hands and feet tingle, summers are full of mosquitoes, you don't have enough to eat or wear well, and even princes and grandchildren may die if you get sick. Everything is inconvenient. Not many people can bear this kind of life.
Fortunately, there are also fairies and ghosts here, practicing magic, and countless interesting things.
This is a rare blessing.
I heard from Buddhism that there are thousands of worlds in the universe, but I don’t know where I came from and where I am?
I don't know when I can touch it.
Now that I can come, can I go back?
Legends and stories often talk about immortality. If we give this world thousands of years, we don’t know what it will be like.
Rather than seeking fame and fame, these are what he wants to pursue at this time.
Lin Jue had unlimited imagination in his mind.
I fell asleep unconsciously.
Chapter completed!