Chapter 139 Master and apprentice? Mother and daughter?
Hearing the sound, the old man on the couch slowly opened his eyes and carefully looked at the strange girl in front of him. The girl's pretty face gradually merged with the face of the immature child in her memory. She had raised more than a dozen children with her own hands, but Xia Houshu
Undoubtedly the most special one and the one she couldn't see through the most. She was very thoughtful at a young age, but she didn't want to tell the people around her. The other disciples had been following her anyway, but Xia Houshu had never stopped receiving gifts since he returned to Beijing.
, but she never showed up. She never once reflected on whether she had done something wrong that made the child who grew up watching her not want to see her.
As she watched, Master Qubai slowly burst into tears.
"You..." Master Qu Bai just wanted to speak when she felt a lump of air in her chest and panicked. She quickly turned her head and coughed violently, which frightened several disciples and rushed forward to serve her.
It was the first time Xia Houshu saw Master Qu Bai like this, and he was even more frightened. He didn't dare to stand up in a hurry, and threw himself on the couch with his legs kneeling, and helped his master pat his chest to calm down.
.
Master Qubai took the opportunity to grab Xiahou Shu's hand and asked: "You, are you really Shu'er?"
Xia Houshu had already burst into tears. She was stunned for a moment, and held her skinny hand tightly with her backhand, nodding her head and saying: "Master, I am Shu'er! I'm back! It's great to see you! But what are you doing?
Are you so sick?"
After receiving a positive answer, Master Qu Bai calmed down a lot. After a while, he said: "Birth, old age, illness and death are human nature, so don't worry. I have lived for so many years, and that's enough."
"No, not enough!" Xia Houshu shook his head and said, "Master, Shu'er was wrong. Shu'er should not have been hiding in the capital these years and not visiting you. Now that Shu'er really knows that he was wrong, you can give Shu'er more
How about a chance? Let Shu'er come and accompany you!"
Master Qubai smiled slightly and said softly: "Silly boy, you still have a long life, so you don't need to waste your time on me. But I have lived for so many years, I have lived enough, and I don't want to waste my efforts anymore. Now I can
After seeing you and knowing that you have grown into a beautiful young lady, I will be satisfied."
Xia Houshu shook his head desperately. She really regretted it. She raised her from a sick child less than one year old to eight years old, and raised her into a lively female doll. I don't know how much hard work she put in during this period. But she didn't know how much effort she put into it.
No complaints. If Zhong Yuqing gave her life, then Mrs. Qubai gave her hope to live. Mrs. Qubai was like another mother to her.
When she was young, when she first understood that Zhong Yuqing was her biological mother, she thought it was ridiculous. How could a mother be worried that her daughter's fate would be too tough and leave her in a Taoist temple to raise her? But now she feels that she has been escaping all these years.
Master Qubai, who raised her up, is even more ridiculous. She is so cruel, because of her inner demons, she even ignores the relationship between master and disciple and filial piety!
She sincerely hoped that God would give her a chance to make amends, allowing her to spend more time with Master Qu Bai, to make up for her debt, and at the same time atone for her actions.
Next to her, Miaoru had long been used to hearing Mrs. Qubai's rhetoric, but she still felt very uncomfortable in her heart. As a senior sister, she usually had no one to worry about other than nagging Miaofei, who was about the same age.
Miaofei had a cold temperament. Every time he heard this, he would say something to her. Gradually, she stopped asking for trouble.
She looked at Xia Houshu and explained: "Master contracted the wind and cold in the summer. At that time, she only felt that the weather was hot and thought that she would be fine in a few days, so she didn't take it seriously. The medicine we gave her,
She also fell secretly while we were not paying attention, and she watered two of the bonsai trees in the house. After autumn, the weather in the mountains suddenly became colder, and Master's condition also worsened. Brother Miaochen is coming every day.
He checked his pulse and prescribed a lot of medicine, but no improvement was seen. He was also worried that his poor medical skills had delayed the master's condition, so he specially invited several doctors from down the mountain to take a look. They all said that the master's illness was caused by herself.
It’s so devastating. If we hadn’t been feeding her medicine every day these days, watching her swallow it, and waiting until she had no chance to spit it out again, I’m afraid the consequences would be disastrous.”
"Why are you telling her this?" Master Qu Bai was obviously unhappy when she heard the eldest disciple talking about something that was not very honorable about herself. She waved her hand and continued to defend herself: "I know my own body well.
, it’s only happened in the past few days.”
"Master!" Miaoru reminded her loudly not to say depressing words.
Master Qubai waved her hands and said: "My posthumous affairs have been arranged for you, so you don't have to be sad." Then she looked at Miaoru, "You are the senior sister. After I leave, you must take good care of Boyunguan.
Don’t live up to everyone’s expectations of you.”
Miaoru just cried, neither saying yes nor saying no.
Master Qu Bai took it as her acquiescence, then turned her eyes to the sobbing Miao Qing, and said: "Among the dozen children, you are the youngest, you have not experienced anything, and you are simple. Master knows that you have always wanted to
Go down the mountain, but I am worried that you will be bullied and deceived, so you have not been allowed to go down the mountain. After I leave, if you still want to go down the mountain to see something, you can go to your senior sister Xiahou. Their family is a well-known family in the capital.
I can protect you."
Miao Qing cried even louder when she heard this, and quickly said: "I won't go down the mountain! I won't go to the capital either. There is nothing interesting down the mountain, it's better to go up the mountain. As long as Master and the senior sisters are here, I won't go anywhere!"
The child he raised knew that Master Qubai didn't believe that Miao Qing was speaking from the heart, so he said to Xia Houshu: "You, my little junior sister, are just like you, you have been full of weird ideas since you were a child. It's just that
I am a monk with no worldly possessions and limited abilities. I cannot satisfy her one by one. If she really can't stand it anymore in the mountains in the future, you must take good care of her for me and don't let her suffer too much.
.”
Xia Houshu nodded, then took Miao Qing's hand, and Fang Hui promised: "Master, don't worry, no matter which sister or sister wants to go down the mountain in the future, as long as they are willing to come to me, I will do my best to help them if they need anything."
"With your words, I feel more at ease." Master Qubai nodded slowly, "Get up, what are you doing kneeling all the time?"
Miaoqing wiped away her tears and quickly helped Xia Houshu stand up.
Master Qubai saw that the relationship between their sisters was as good as before and nodded with satisfaction.
After a while, Miao Fei also came in. After she brought Yun Xi and Liao Huwei in, she ordered the other junior sisters to make arrangements, and she hurried over, just to see what the master would be like after seeing the lay disciple she had longed for.
What a reaction, but I didn't expect that it was still a step too late.
When Master Qubai heard the footsteps, she knew that it was her second disciple who had come in. She slowly turned her head, looked at her and warned: "You came just in time, and I also have something to tell you. Miaofei, you are the second senior disciple.
Although you are better than your senior sister in all aspects, I still want to pass on the position of abbot to her. You must assist her well in the future and must not have any evil intentions."
Master Qubai is a straightforward person, and she never talks in a roundabout way to her disciples, so even such warning words are spoken openly and openly in front of everyone.
Miao Fei was stunned at first. Her strength was obvious to all in Boyun Temple, but the temperament of the senior sister Miaoru was indeed more suitable for being an abbot. She had never thought about arguing with the senior sister.
Miao Fei reacted and couldn't help but said angrily: "Senior Sister is the eldest disciple. The dozen or so of us have been taken care of by her since childhood. We have no time to respect and love her. Naturally, we must assist her in managing Boyun Temple in the future. If Master doesn't
Don’t worry, just keep an eye on us every day. With you here, none of us dare to make mistakes.”
Master Qubai heard that the second disciple wanted to persuade her again, so she turned away and didn't want to talk to her.
Miao Fei didn't intend to stop there, and continued: "I have to say it even if you don't want to hear it. You have told us since we were young that we should cherish our bodies and cherish our lives. If anyone has a headache or fever, you will have to endure the hardship."
You give us the bitter medicine to drink. But when it comes to you, you do the opposite. If you don't cherish yourself, how can you teach us how to believe?"
Master Qu Bai has adopted so many disciples, and she has been strong all her life. She never thought that when she got old, she would be speechless by her own disciples, so she turned her face even further.
Xia Houshu suddenly discovered that the people in this room did not look like masters, disciples or cultivators. They were clearly a stubborn mother who was declining day by day, and met a stubborn daughter with a strong attitude. Those who were pure in heart and had no regard for life and death were all illusions.
Some of them are just the strong love between mother and daughter in the secular world.
And she was originally one of them.
Miao Fei was not moved by this. He glanced at Xia Houshu who was still kneeling on the ground. His heart moved and he said: "Master, don't you talk about Junior Sister Xia Hou every day? Now that she is here, you have shown your face."
Don't go aside. Don't you want to recognize this apprentice? If you don't want to recognize me, I won't let her hinder your eyes here. I will drive her down the mountain immediately. It just so happens that the people and luggage she brought are still outside.
The courtyard can be tidied up quickly."
Xia Houshu felt extremely aggrieved and quickly bowed to Miaofei. She was already doing deep reflection. Why did the second senior sister still use her incident as an example to poke everyone's heart? She couldn't leave her alone.
Want to save some face?
Miao Fei ignored Xia Houshu's full of sorrow and begging for mercy, and continued to stare at Master Qu Bai: "Master, if you don't speak, I will take it as your acquiescence."
As expected, Master Qubai was caught in the attack. She slowly turned her face, stared at her and said helplessly: "I am a dying person, what are you forcing me to do? Shu'er has not been back for seven years, and it is rare for her to come back to see me.
Once, I was very happy. Now that I have met her and know that she is fine, I have fulfilled my wish. If you don't care about the friendship between our teachers and can't tolerate her anymore, just drive her away, so why bother asking me?"
"Master..." Xia Houshu looked at Master Qu Bai in surprise, why did you even come to poke my sore spot? Don't you love me anymore?
Miao Fei shook his head and sighed: "Master, you are just a tough talker. If I really drive her away and make you angry again, wouldn't I be treasonous?"
Master Qubai turned her face away again, not wanting to talk to her.
Seeing this, Miaoru quickly wiped the tears on her face and smoothed things over: "Shu'er hasn't been back for many years, and she is probably unfamiliar with Boyun Temple. Why don't we ask the second junior sister and the younger junior sister to take her around?
Meet the other sisters and brothers."
Miao Fei knew what Senior Sister meant, so he agreed, and then he and Miao Qing took Xia Houshu around for a walk. Miao Ru stayed behind to comfort Master Qu Bai and help her drink the noon soup.