Chapter 4: The poor, the poor monk
After the snow has stopped falling, the sun shines on the snow, reflecting a dazzling white light. The whole world is illuminated, not only the corners that the sun cannot reach, but even the darkness in the depths of the heart also feels a ray of light.
Yun Ye felt as if he had a mental illness. When others laughed, he laughed too. When others cried, he cried too, depending on the situation. He always felt that he could only react after watching others react, like a fool.
Xiao Ya wouldn’t get off my back. It didn’t matter, I carried her anyway. She wasn’t heavy, but she made the other little ones unhappy. They all pouted, but after getting a slap from the old lady, they obediently got into the carriage.
The exclusive carriage that Yun Ye had built in Longyou to take advantage of the government was sent back to the house by his subordinates last night. It was called a masterpiece by the carpenter at home. The axle was made of tempered steel, and four elastic thin steel sheets were riveted on it. A pair of bronze tiles held the axle and rotated freely. The ancient The rattan-woven wheels are light and reduce bumps, and the carriage is covered with something that I don’t know what it is, it’s soft and light. I heard the military officer who sent it say that the marquis rode this carriage all the way back to Chang’an from Longyou, and it didn’t break down much over the 2,000-odd miles. There are many more luxurious carriages in Chang’an than this one, but not many are as comfortable as this one. After consulting Yun Ye, the housekeeper’s aunt made it the exclusive carriage of the Yun family head and assigned a highly skilled coachman to take care of it.
The old lady sat in the carriage pulled by two horses with her granddaughter. The rules of the imperial household stipulated that the carriage of the head of the family must be pulled by two horses. Yun Ye got on the mare that he had been riding, and followed the carriage. Liu Jinbao and Zhuang San stopped in front to clear the way, four male servants held flags, four maids carried incense burners, and eight guards flanked them. They rode in a grand procession to Ci’en Temple.
In fact, the Great Ci’en Temple is not far away. It is just south of Chang’an City, and it is five li away from the city center via the Zhuque Street. At this time, the Ci’en Temple was far from the magnificent and spectacular as it was in legend. It was only in the 22nd year of the Zhenguan period that Emperor Li Er issued an edict to expand it, and it was renovated by Li Zhi. In addition, the Great Wild Goose Pagoda was built by the monk Xuanzang, which made it one of the four major places for translating Buddhist scriptures. The Buddhist school of Yogacara was born here.
The area around Ci’en Temple was a poor neighborhood, with dilapidated walls that had been worn down by the elements, exposing the yellow soil and the holes that had been dug by sparrows. At this time, behind the small holes that covered the walls, pairs of eyes looked in amazement at the luxurious carriage of the Yun family, quietly commenting on which powerful family had arrived in this filthy place.
The new official opened the gate early, sweeping the dust off the street, and several old men stood on one side.
The old lady could no longer sit still, and pulled the two girls off the carriage. When the old lady saw them, the old men stepped forward, but then backed off when the official scolded them. It was obvious that the old lady had known these old men when she was poor, but now that she was rich, the official thought it was a disgrace to the Yun family for these poor old men to approach her and chat as they used to.
“Liu Laoge, He Laoge, Daquan, Renzhu, how come you don’t recognize your old sister?” The old lady didn’t care and used the old name. Her face was full of smiles, and she reached out and grabbed an old man with white hair and beard. “Liu Laoge, if you hadn’t carried Dayi on your back and climbed over the wall to find a doctor for her, she would have died long ago. Now, why are you so distant?”
Da Ya and Xiao Ya had long ago been hugging the old man’s legs and calling him grandpa. Liu Lao-han rubbed his hands on the legs a few times, carefully picked up the two little girls, his eyes red and his mouth trembling, unable to speak. Da Ya took out a pack of beef jerky and picked up a stick to put in Lao-han’s mouth: “This is from my brother, brought all the way from Longyou. It’s delicious. Da Ya has been saving it for grandpa. Is it good?”
The old man’s tears flowed down at once, and he tried hard to chew the hard beef jerky with his toothless mouth, nodding repeatedly.
Yun Ye had seen this scene before and knew that once the floodgates of emotion opened, the distance of status would be gone. Sure enough, the women who had been hiding in the house came out one after another, chattering around the old lady. The old lady was beaming with joy, constantly pulling Yun Ye around, showing off a few words here and there, and fully satisfying her vanity in the admiring and awe-inspiring eyes of the neighbors.
Yun Ye put on his best clothes and respectfully bowed to the neighbors. The old men said they were not worthy. Yun Ye said solemnly, “The poor and humble have seen the truth. The Yun family has suffered a lot, and all the women and children have received help from the neighbors. Yun Ye will never forget this for the rest of his life. Today, I have prepared a small gift to thank you for your kindness. I hope you will accept it.”
The servants behind him pulled over several carts of gifts. The old lady knew what poor people needed because she had been poor. There were several carts of hemp rolls, 100 loads of grain, six fat pigs, and even charcoal, salt, and wine, which poor people rarely used.
Yun Ye gave the official one or two silver coins. He was really impatient to fill his body with copper coins, and the happy official couldn’t see his teeth. Since it was a reward for kindness, of course, he had to get rid of the government, even the semi-official person like the official. He handed it over to the few elderly people in charge to distribute. Several little girls were surrounded by children, although their clothes were worn out but they were happy. It turned out that the big and little girls were giving snacks to the children. Seeing them holding the snacks and letting their parents taste them, Yun Ye was full of sorrow.
Reluctant to say goodbye to the neighbors, they continued on to Ci’en Temple. After all, the Yun family was no longer suitable for mingling with the poor. It wasn’t that the Yun family was trying to raise its status, but rather that the classes were different, and the strictness of the Confucian ethics was not something that Yun Ye, a newcomer, could break.
Cishen Temple was just ahead. The dilapidated temple, the poor monks, and the cold weather made them stand outside the temple gate waiting. The old lady told the driver to speed up, afraid that the monks would be frozen.
Monks generally call themselves poor monks. Look at how poor this master is. He is wearing a gray robe, and his bald head is so cold that it is turning blue. Behind him are several high monks, really skinny and tall, with their clothes full of patches, and their hands folded in prayer to the Three Jewels. After Yun Ye helped the old lady out of the carriage, he went forward to greet her, but he couldn’t even finish saying “Namo Amitabha.” After the old woman and the elder had finished their bows, the elder led the way and the whole family entered the Ci’en Temple in a grand procession.
The main hall was not very large, only two zhang high, and the Buddha was so small that his head had to rub against the roof, and the gold paint on his body was mottled, as if he had a skin disease. Such a dilapidated temple had only five monks, one hall, three Buddhas, and only ten acres of land. In any case, Yun Ye could not associate him with the future Daci’en Temple. Xuanzang’s trip to India was indeed a great reward. Not to mention the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which has become a landmark in Xi’an, even the remaining buildings that have survived wars and natural disasters are incomparable to this Ci’en Temple.
The old lady offered her offerings, and Yun Ye seemed to see the monks drooling and faintly heard the sound of their stomachs. My god, such a temple is also revered by the old lady as a god? You have to have some capital to deceive people. I haven’t seen temples in later generations. Regardless of whether the Buddha’s spirit is effective, you have to pay the toll to enter the temple or you won’t be able to see the Buddha. Those so-called monks treat the Buddha like a monkey in a zoo, buying tickets to visit, making people unable to have the slightest respect. The most disrespectful people in the world to the Buddha are those so-called monks.
Fortunately, these monks are still dedicated, and they insist on completing the entire process of fulfilling their vows. The old lady kneels on the cushion, reciting words in her mouth, lest a hint of disrespect will attract the Buddha’s blame.
Not only the old lady, but also the relatives who have suffered are extremely pious. Before coming, they bathed, changed clothes, and dressed up. They all had a big peach on their heads. I asked and found out that this is the most popular foreign hairstyle this year. They tried to dress themselves up to make the Buddha look at them favorably, and a lot of luck came down.
The eight children, big and small, closed their eyes and recited Amitabha Buddha like the adults, their pious appearance making people feel pity for them.
Well, Yun Ye sighed, kneeling in front of the Buddha statue to thank the Buddha for giving him such a family. The old days that he had lost were also given back to him. He had not treated himself badly. This bow was not a bow to these clay sculptures and wood carvings, but a bow to the magic of fate and the warmth of the family.
Sure enough, there has always been a constant process from ancient times to the present, and that is to give money. A full box of copper coins, ten pieces of linen, twenty pairs of monk’s shoes, twenty sets of monk’s clothing, fifty sacks of grain, and countless incense sticks and oil. The old monk’s calm face suddenly showed signs of excitement. He was probably cheering, thinking that this winter had been a good one.
The old lady had a worry off her mind, surrounded by her grandchildren, laughing like the Maitreya Buddha, her spirits were invigorated, and she would have no problem living another twenty years.
The horse was handed over to the servants, and the old lady was handed over to the maid to take care of. The elders didn’t like to show their faces on the street, but the grandchildren didn’t have these concerns. The big girl took the position on Yun Ye’s neck early and happily made faces at her sisters.
Zhuang San stopped, Liu Jinbao guarded a group of chattering girls and women, and set off westward.
Yun Ye had seen wide roads before, but never one as wide as this one, 150 meters wide and 10 li long. If there had been a World Cup at this time, there would have been no need to rotate venues, and everything would have been set up on Suzaku Street for the opening match.
At first, I thought that my mighty army would be enough to attract attention, but I didn’t expect to see so many people and horses everywhere, and the unknown woman’s smile almost made Yun Ye fall over. The woman saw Yun Ye’s silly look and covered her mouth and laughed lightly.
Da Ya covered her brother’s eyes to prevent him from being bewitched by the fox spirit, and she even showed her teeth at the woman, who laughed even more happily.
Unfortunately, Zhang Yimou was wrong. There were no women in court dress with half their breasts exposed, only bloated women wrapped up like pandas.
Yun Ye sincerely hopes that these women in the summer will not be as tightly wrapped as they are in the winter. It was hard enough for me to get to the Tang Dynasty.