Disaster For the Country · Return Journey - Chapter 8

“Tofu.”

The plain white hands dipped into the clear water in the wooden basin to wash, wiped off with silk, and moved to a board of half-foot-square tofu.

“It is also known as ointment. It tastes good and is as smooth as ointment. Take soybeans, grind them into powder with a stone mill, boil them into pulp, filter them with gauze, boil them repeatedly, add gypsum powder, put them in a board box, and use stone Press it. After an hour, open the box and it will become ointment.”

Yushou picked up the bamboo knife, scratched everything, cut off a palm-sized piece, and put it on the wooden plate.

“It’s simple to say, but if you want to do it well, you have to do it to the extreme every step. Like this one, why is it good?” The slender fingers flipped over, and a needle was added to the fingertips, and they were lifted to a height of one foot and released , the silver needle fell and was firmly inserted into the tofu.

“Crystal white and delicate, it won’t break when touched by a needle.”

The bamboo knife is like the wind, every stroke and every meal is full of charm. After a while, the tofu was carved into a white jade lotus.

Without stopping, he turned another small bowl, mashed a real lotus flower, poured honey, mixed it into pink, and poured the juice on the tip of the tofu lotus flower petals. In this way, the tofu lotus also showed a realistic gradual pink color.

Take a few more lotus leaves and cut them into a plate.

Heat the remaining lotus honey, add mung bean powder, and pinch a dragonfly out.

Finally, put the sugar paste dragonfly on the tofu lotus carefully.

A plate of “Dragonfly Falling Lotus” was vividly displayed on the wooden plate.

The owner of the hand washed his hands again, dried them with silk, held up the wooden plate, and walked to the side. Sitting cross-legged on the couch with eyes closed was an old monk with white eyebrows and hair and a skinny figure, and a Taoist nun who was about forty years old and still had a graceful figure.

The Taoist nun looked at the plate of delicacies with gratified eyes, bowed to the old monk and said, “Young fellow, you are making a fool of yourself. I respectfully invite Master Toothless to comment.”

The old monk just opened his eyes—

The woman who saw the cooking smiled at him.

The elegant white jade tofu lotus flower is also overshadowed by her smile.

Toothless looked at her quietly for a while, then reached out to pick up the chopsticks and took a bite of tofu into his mouth.

The middle-aged Taoist nun couldn’t help asking: “Dare to ask the master, is it possible?”

Toothless swallowed the tofu slowly, and when he looked up at the woman who was cooking, he felt a lot of emotion: “This plate of tofu has shape, color, aroma, and taste, but it has no soul.”

The smile on the woman’s face disappeared.

“It’s okay to entertain ordinary people with such a vegetarian meal, but it’s not enough if you want to dedicate it to Lord He.” Master Toothless coughed lightly as he spoke, gathered the cassock on his body, and sighed, “Forget it, it’s the old man himself. bring it on.”

The woman stared straight at him, her voice was a little unwilling: “Master, what is a soul?”

“The soul of vegetarian food is ‘purity’. People with impure hearts can’t cook heart food.”

“How did the master know that my heart is not pure?”

Toothless’ eyes were full of compassion, looking at her was like looking at a piece of broken porcelain. After a while, he smiled, lowered his eyelids and stopped talking.

The woman seemed to be terrified, and after a long silence, she slapped the whole plate of tofu on the tray, and it was actually destroyed.

The middle-aged Taoist said in surprise: “Qiu Jiang, don’t be rude!”

Qiu Jiang stared at Wu Ya, and when she smiled, her brows and eyes were agile, her size was dazzling, and her brilliance was dazzling. But once you don’t smile, your appearance will be ugly and lifeless, like a poorly carved puppet.

“I’ll go to practice again.” She said numbly, then turned and left.

***

The next moment, Qiu Jiang walked out of the kitchen, and the mountain wind blew over, blowing her moon-white monk robe and long hair, like the wind returning to snow.

The little monk who was **** outside the door saw her as if he saw a ghost, and hissed: “You, what did you do to my master? You witch, let my master go! My master is an eminent monk, you are so disrespectful! Worship the gods and Buddhas, and you will be punished!”

Qiu Jiang smiled at him, and tapped his bald head with the bamboo knife in his hand: “If you want to save your master? You have to listen to me.”

With tears in his eyes, the little monk said with grief and indignation, “Young monk, I swear to die!”

“Then I’ll cut off the old monk’s hand, and let the so-called No. 1 vegetarian restaurant in the world disappear.” Qiu Jiang made a gesture to turn around and go back to the room.

The little monk quickly called her: “What do you want to do?”

“It’s very simple, just one thing – Xinshi Zhai on the first day of June, I will do it.”

The little monk was taken aback for a moment, then thought of something, and opened his eyes wide in fear: “You, you… what do you want to do to Mr. He?!”

Qiu Jiang’s bright eyes flowed, and she wore a monk’s robe, which forced her to wear Zhangtai Pingkang’s flowery demeanor. In the eyes of the young monk, she was a living Matanga woman, chanting the Brahma Mantra and preparing to confuse Ananda.

“Amitabha, you have committed a crime!”

***

On the first day of June, it was sunny and sunny.

Every year on this day, Feng Xiaoya would go to Lanting Mountain Yuanmu Temple to visit Buddha.

This famous Hegong in the Yan Kingdom was probably born with a serious illness and disregarded life and death. Therefore, on the one hand, he was dissolute and romantic, married ten wives, and enjoyed things to the fullest; Ascot.

There are two temples on Lanting Mountain, one temple and one nunnery, both named Yuanmu, which entertain male and female guests respectively. Located in the suburbs of Beijing, dignitaries, wealthy businessmen and literati always go for outings, and as time goes by, it becomes its own scenery.

There is a wine house at the foot of the mountain called “Guilaixi”.

The owner is a couple named Qiu.

A passer-by asked: “You know that there is a temple on the mountain, and most of the passers-by are there to burn incense. When you see the Bodhisattva, you must be sincere. How can you stop to drink?”

The Qiu couple smiled and replied: “It is because there is no wine or meat in this place for ten miles. That’s why they sell wine. There are already too many tea sellers.”

Don’t say it, it’s true. At the beginning, no one went there, but gradually, the business of the restaurant improved, and in the end, all the tea shops in the neighborhood were crowded out.

It turned out that after everyone worshiped the Bodhisattva and went down the mountain, they all felt that they could relax, so they went to the wine house to drink a few cups;

The Qiu family said: “Those who come to burn incense and worship the Buddha are all asking for the Bodhisattva. Often such people are easy to drink too much.”

In addition, their wine is indeed well brewed, and it has become a gold-lettered signature in ten years. Even if many people do not worship Bodhisattva, they will deliberately drive to taste it.

The Qiu family had a daughter who was said to have been weak and sick since she was a child, and she was fostered in a nunnery. Qiu Jiang occasionally went down the mountain, and when people saw her, they would only say that she was sallow and emaciated, and her appearance was not good.

And this year, at the first day of June in Huazhen’s third year, when Feng Xiaoya’s carriage passed by the wine house of the Qiu family, he heard commotion and shouts ahead, so he raised the curtain and took a look.

He has always been lazy, and he will never move unless he can do it himself, but this time, he lifted the curtain of the car accidentally——

The morning light in early summer was still hazy, but the raging fire was burning vigorously, almost turning the whole sky red.

Feng Xiaoya frowned, and asked the driver, “What’s going on?”

There were two coachmen, both of them were dressed in gray clothes, and they were not very good looking. One was named Meng Buli and the other was named Jiao Buqi.

Jiao Buqi got out of the car to inquire, and came back to report: “Qiujia Restaurant caught fire for some reason. Everyone is fighting the fire.”

Feng Xiaoya groaned, because of his health, he seldom drank alcohol, even though he had heard about this restaurant for a long time, he never took a step forward. Seeing it caught fire now, he didn’t care, and ordered: “Continue to go up the mountain.”

Meng Buli and Jiao Buqi drove away in the carriage, and they could still hear the sound of houses collapsing after walking a long distance. Jiao Buqi said: “I don’t know how much spirits are hidden in the wine cellar to burn so fiercely. It seems that there is no time to extinguish it.”

Meng Buli turned his head to look back frequently, nodded with great interest, and hummed.

“I don’t know if the boss and the boss’s wife have escaped. I hope that burning things will not burn people!”

“Um.”

“But it’s a pity to burn something. Their wine is really good. After burning it, it’s probably gone…”

“Um.”

“Maybe it’s the Bodhisattva’s punishment for them. It’s not good to open any shop at the foot of the mountain. It’s not for wine or meat. I don’t know how many people who practice it have been harmed…”

Meng Buli hurriedly shook his head nervously at him: “Arrogance, Bodhisattva, disrespect.”

Jiao Buqi laughed: “Yes, yes, you can eat people with a short mouth, and eat the food of the Bodhisattva, so you should stop talking about the Bodhisattva.”

Feng Xiaoya in the car suddenly coughed. The two looked at each other, smiled and speeded up.

In fact, they were right. The purpose of Feng Xiaoya’s trip was not to practice Zen and talk about Buddhism. The reason why he would go to Yuanmu Temple every June 1st was to eat vegetarian food.

There is an eminent monk named Wu Ya in Yuanmu Temple. Although he has no teeth, he has good cooking skills, and his vegetarian dishes can be said to be unique. But he likes to travel in the clouds, and he only goes back to the country of Yan for a few days every year, and he is only willing to cook when he is in the first year of junior high school. That’s why Feng Xiaoya took a special car to Lanting Mountain on this day.

Outsiders didn’t know, they thought he was also there to burn incense, and said that the son of the prime minister’s family was dedicated to Buddha.

When the carriage arrived at Yuanmu Temple, a handsome young monk was already waiting with a lantern. Seeing him arrive, he hurriedly walked into the backyard and said as he walked, “Mr. He has worked hard all the way, something happened here…”

“What’s wrong?”

The little monk faltered: “My master… is sick, sick, and can’t get out of bed.”

“What disease?”

The little monk shook his head: “I don’t know… He said that he will be fine after a few days of rest. But Mr. He, don’t worry, your fast meal has been promised a long time ago, and you can’t let it go for nothing, so I invited other people to come. Do…”

Before the words finished, Feng Xiaoya said: “Stop. Turn around and go down the mountain.”

The little monk was shocked: “What happened to Mr. He?”

Feng Xiaoya’s indifferent and slightly arrogant voice came from the carriage: “I only came here for Master Wu Ya’s vegetarian food, the others are not worthy of making me travel so hard to eat.”

The little monk was very embarrassed and wanted to stop him, but he didn’t dare to stop him.

Meng Buli and Jiao Buqi always followed the master’s orders immediately, turned the wheels and walked back immediately.

Just a few steps away, there was a strange fragrance in the air.

The scent is faint, but it can be smelled clearly.

Jiao Buqi involuntarily stopped driving, sniffed and said, “It smells so good!”

Behind them, there was a sound in the wing room they were going to, and a pair of bare hands stretched out to open the four screen windows one by one.

The sleeves are as white as snow, and the hands are as bright as jade.

Meng Buli and Jiao Buqi winked at each other—woman! Very good, the young master probably won’t leave now.

With the opening of the window, the fragrance gradually becomes stronger and penetrates into the heart and spleen, whetting the appetite. Unlike the aroma of ordinary food, which is so greasy and thick, this aroma is cold, with a little sweetness and a little milky taste.

Feng Xiaoya also smelled this smell in the car, she was really curious: “Stop.”

Meng Buli and Jiao Buqi turned the car back and came to the wing.

At this time, the door of the wing opened with a creak, and a girl in a moon-white monk’s robe appeared inside the door. Although she was wearing a monk’s clothes, she had long black hair, fair skin, clear eyebrows, and her whole body was like the moonlight.

—like stepping out of the smoke from the censer next to the scriptures.

Feng Xiaoya saw her through the car window, and the string of prayer beads she was playing with fell loosely onto her lap.

The woman in monk clothes bowed and saluted, and said in a voice as ethereal and weak as smoke: “The vegetarian room is ready, sir, please take your seat.”

The little monk hurriedly said: “Mr. He, this is Miss Qiu Jiang, who was hired by the monk to cook vegetarian food for you. Her cooking skills are also very good. You can try it. If you want to leave like this, the master knows.” I will blame the little monk.”

Feng Xiaoya’s eyes seemed to be glued to Qiu Jiang’s body, and she could no longer hear other voices.

He stared at her for a long time without saying a word or moving.

The little monk waited and waited, but there was still no response, which made him a little embarrassed.

And Qiu Jiang also seemed restless waiting, raised his eyes suspiciously, and looked at Feng Xiaoya in the car window.

Hmm… this person is the famous Mr. He.

The number one favorite of the Yan Kingdom is indeed a special person.

The most special thing is his eyes.

He looked at her quietly, his eyes were focused and gloomy, with a strange but seductive tiredness, like a piece of cold jade that was about to be broken, which made her want to… smash it quickly!

Qiu Jiang’s eyes turned slightly, and his eyelashes lowered, covering the desire in his heart.

But Meng Buli and Jiao Buqi both got off their horses, opened the buckle on the wall of the car, and put down one side of the car wall to form a temporary case.

Jiao Buqi instructed Qiu Jiang, “Then serve the food. Bring all the food here.”

“Here?” Qiu Jiang looked at this unique carriage curiously.

The little monk was used to seeing it, so he rushed into the room and brought out the vegetarian food.

In the past, Master Wu Ya prepared enough vegetarian dishes for one hundred and eight dishes, implying the one hundred and eight kinds of afflictions in the Buddhist scriptures. Eating them is equivalent to swallowing, melting, and letting go of all the one hundred and eight kinds of afflictions. I forgot.

But this time, Qiu Jiang only cooked six dishes.

Liu Dao looked at it, but couldn’t tell what kind of dish it was.

The first dish is a bowl of soup, with a reed leaf floating on the light blue soup, nothing else.

Feng Xiaoya looked at the soup, but as if she saw something very interesting, her eyes were rarely warm: “Crossing the river with a reed?”

Qiu Jiang bowed and replied: “Mr. He has good eyesight. The name of this soup is Yiwei crossing the river. It comes from the fact that Emperor Wu of Liang sent people to chase Patriarch Bodhidharma. The reeds were thrown into the river, turned into boats and floated away.”

Meng Buli spooned a small bowl and held it with Feng Xiaoya.

Feng Xiaoya took a sip, frowned, put down the spoon and asked, “Soup made from Coptis chinensis?”

Qiu Jiang nodded: “Yes.”

Meng Buli was startled, quickly took another spoon and took a sip, just after drinking it, he spit it out, his facial features all wrinkled together.

Jiao Buqi immediately drew his sword, and angrily said: “Bold! How dare you make this kind of food for my young master?!”

Qiu Jiang was neither afraid nor angry, but said lightly: “Mr. Feng, why do you want to eat vegetarian food?”

Before Feng Xiaoya could answer, she said anxiously, “My son has always been a vegetarian!”

“That’s even more strange. There are two reasons for ordinary people to be vegetarians. One is to change the taste. If you are tired of eating big fish and meat, you can change to some porridge and side dishes to clear your stomach. Since Mr. Feng has always been a vegetarian, why did you deliberately come here?”

Jiao Buqi angrily said: “What do you know! Master Yaya’s vegetarian food is unrivaled in the world, extremely delicious…”

Qiu Jiang interrupted him: “Then you can ask Master Wu Ya to cook at home, why do you have to go up the mountain without hesitation?” He glanced at the huge special carriage, “The mountain road is narrow and muddy, and it is very difficult for people to climb up. It’s laborious, not to mention the car.”

Jiao Buqi said: “Of course it is to show my young master’s respect for Master Wu Ya…”

“Practitioners should abandon the five precepts of greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, doubt, even wine and meat, and pursue the desire of food and drink. Isn’t it contradictory?”

“this…”

“Master Wu Ya is an eminent monk, and he should not and will not indulge in it. So—” Qiu Jiang raised his head, staring at Feng Xiaoya with eyes like pearls in the smoke, “Mr. Feng, why did you come here?” What about vegetarian food?”

Feng Xiaoya’s expression was unpredictable. Looking at her, she said leisurely, “What do you think? Why did I come?”

He threw the burden back to Qiu Jiang in such an understatement, Qiu Jiang couldn’t help but smile, and replied: “The little girl dared to guess that the son came here deliberately to taste the one hundred and eight kinds of troubles, that is to say, the food is second. The meaning contained in the dish is what matters.”

These words clearly meant nothing, but Feng Xiaoya’s eyes sharpened suddenly, like sharp knives, wandering over her body, as if they were about to fall at any moment.

But Qiu Jiang is still not afraid at all. She obviously looks weak and timid, but her eyes are extremely firm, and she also has a sparkling smile, which makes people really unable to lose their temper with such a deer-like girl.

Neither can Feng Xiaoya.

So he quickly put away the sharpness in his eyes, regained his calm appearance, and said to Meng Buli: “Buli, bring the second dish.”

The second is a big tray. On the left side of the tray is a half-foot-high tree. If you look carefully, you will find that it is carved from radishes. There are dozens of translucent leaves hanging from the branches. lifelike. On the right is a white jade danxin jug, hot air is continuously coming out of the spout, and the faint sweet fragrance that I smelled before is coming from the cup.

Meng Buli and Jiao Buqi couldn’t help being a little contemptuous of this Qiujiang girl. I have to admit that regardless of the taste of the dishes she cooks, the carving is top-notch.

Qiu Jiang said: “Please allow me to serve the young master.”

Feng Xiaoya nodded.

So Qiu Jiang went to the car, put the tray on the desk, and introduced: “In the Asura Way, there is a wish-fulfilling fruit tree. The thirty-three days of sentient beings can enjoy it, but the Asuras can’t. So they tried every means to kill it. wish-fulfilling tree.”

Feng Xiaoya continued: “But as long as the beings in the heavens sprinkle a kind of nectar, the wish-fulfilling tree will be resurrected.”

Qiu Jiang nodded and smiled, picked up the white jade Danxin pot on the right, and poured it on the radish tree.

The milky white nectar slowly flows out of the spout, pouring on the tree with a tangy sweet fragrance. As a result, the transparent leaves on the tree evaporated and disappeared. At the same time, the radish ripened and became more crystal clear and beautiful.

Qiu Jiang put down the pot and looked at Feng Xiaoya.

Feng Xiaoya picked up the chopsticks, broke off a twig and put it in her mouth, chewed carefully, her brows that were slightly furrowed slowly relaxed, and her expression softened a bit, “Nectar?”

Qiu Jiang nodded: “It is prepared by taking sucrose and twelve kinds of nectar, soaking the carved radish in it for a full twelve hours, taking it out and air-drying it, and hanging ice flakes on it. When eating, pour hot honey on it and the ice will melt .There is coldness in the hotness, crispness in the milk, plus you just drank the bitter soup, which makes you feel sweeter. This dish is a joy.”

Meng Buqi was salivating at the sight. He has been with Feng Xiaoya for many years, so he has seen a lot, but he has never seen such a dish.

Feng Xiaoya said: “Suffer first, then enjoy, what’s next?”

“It’s She.”

Feng Xiaoya’s eyes flickered slightly, and she said slowly: “Bitterness, joy… giving up… six sense organs and three feelings.”

“Yes. Bitterness, joy, and equanimity; likes, dislikes, and peace, these six senses. I am slow in cooking, and I can’t cook one hundred and eight dishes like Master Wu Ya, so I can only simplify.”

“There are 18 types of bitterness and happiness, and 36 types of likes and dislikes. Adding the past, present and future, there are a total of 108 types of afflictions… I see.” After Feng Xiaoya murmured, she suddenly raised her eyes. Looking at Qiu Jiang, “But you only cooked six dishes, without past, present and future.”

Qiu Jiang looked back at him like water, and the two looked at each other, even the sky and the earth seemed to be still.

And in such a still world, Qiu Jiang opened his mouth softly and said, “I did it for the third life too. And you… will understand.”

There was a ripple in Feng Xiaoya’s eyes.

After a while, he turned his eyes away and said, “I’ll taste the following four dishes first.”

The third course was served with a layer of pearls, on top of the pearls a layer of cherries, and on top of the cherries a layer of thorns.

“There is nothing better than a woman in the sky, and the most beautiful fruit is a cherry.” Qiu Jiang put this dish on the table, “The name of this dish is color.”

Feng Xiaoya pushed aside the thorns, put a cherry into her mouth, and immediately frowned. Meng Buli who was at the side quickly handed over the handkerchief, and he spit the cherry he just ate into the handkerchief, but the sour taste lingered on his tongue for a long time.

So Meng Buli took another cup of tea and asked him to rinse his mouth.

After Feng Xiaoya rinsed her mouth, she looked at Qiu Jiang and said, “Femininity is astringent. So should I give it up?”

Qiu Jiang stared and said: “Everyone knows that the son has ten beautiful wives, but if you marry so many, can you really enjoy the blessings of everyone?”

“Bold!” Jiao Buqi was dissatisfied again, “Whether will I get to point the finger at my young master’s affairs!”

“Yes, Qiu Jiang has surpassed.” Qiu Jiang accepted it as soon as he saw it, and took the fourth dish without discussing it.

The fourth dish is finally like a real vegetarian dish. The emerald green Chrysanthemum chrysanthemum has been scalded with water, especially with water droplets, which looks extremely crisp and delicious.

Feng Xiaoya picked up a chopstick and put it into her mouth, but felt that the taste was different from ordinary chrysanthemum chrysanthemum, not only was it crispy and tender, but also had a slightly cool and smooth taste. When swallowed into her throat, it became an elegant fragrance, with an endless aftertaste.

“Iced it?”

“Yes.” Qiu Jiang nodded, “First drain the water, put it in a bowl and put it on ice, during the process, take a small amount of pear juice and spray it seven times, then take it out, and it will taste like this.”

The fifth dish is fried persimmons. Although the color is attractive and the fragrance is tangy, but it reminds of the previous bitterness and sacrifice. This dish, which means “evil”, is really overwhelming.

Feng Xiaoya looked at the plate of fried persimmons, and suddenly asked: “Is this really edible?”

Qiu Jiang covered her lips and smiled: “Don’t you dare?”

“The persimmons are sweet and rotten, and if you fry them with fire, the taste will definitely be strange.”

“No wonder, son, why don’t you try it first?” Qiu Jiang smiled mysteriously and provocatively, “I promise, you will like this dish very much.”

So Feng Xiaoya still picked up the chopsticks, took a piece and put it in her mouth, then she was startled.

After the first bite, it was obviously still a persimmon, but after another bite, I tasted the minced walnuts, and the taste changed with each bite.

“This dish is called Ten Evils. Choose a good Huojing persimmon, hollow out the belly, stuff ten kinds of ingredients, such as walnuts, peanuts, osmanthus, red bean paste, roses, etc., add honey pomelo sugar, and fry until cooked. Therefore, there are countless changes in the taste of each bite. .” Qiu Jiang looked at him with a smile, “I said, the young master will definitely like it.”

“You do know me.”

“Knowing the tastes and preferences of customers is the key to a successful chef. You are a guest of Master Toothless, how dare I neglect you? But…”

“And but?”

“But my son is too sweet, it’s not good after all. So this last dish is for digestion.” Qiu Jiang said, and brought the last dish to Feng Xiaoya.

Since the last dish must conform to the meaning of “flat”, it is naturally made flat and stable. It looks like ordinary vegetable rice, but there are so many dishes in it. At a glance, there are more than 20 kinds. The taste is clear and light, and it is warm and moist after entering the stomach, which feels very comfortable.

In this way, Feng Xiaoya has tasted all of these six dishes, and he especially likes the last rice, he ate up the whole pot.

Meng Buli and Jiao Buqi had followed him for many years, and it was the first time they saw him have such an appetite, they were both surprised and delighted. When he looked at Qiu Jiang again, there was a little more agreement in his eyes.

Feng Xiaoya put down her chopsticks and looked at Qiu Jiang: “What reward do you want?”

Qiu Jiang’s eyes flickered: “Can any reward be accepted?”

“As long as I think it’s worthy of this vegetarian meal, it’s fine.”

“Okay, I heard that Mr. He’s melody is unparalleled in the world, known as one of the three treasures of Yujing, so many people are flocking to it. Today is just the right time, and my daughter also wants to enjoy it.”

As soon as these words came out, Meng Buli and Jiao Buqi exchanged meaningful glances.

For so many years, there have been as many women who have appeared in front of the son with various gestures and opportunities as crucian carp crossing the river. The thoughts of those women are actually not difficult to understand, they all have plans and desires. This Qiu Jiang couldn’t avoid suspicion either, he seemed like a tough guy to deal with.

It’s just that Qiu Jiang was the first one who didn’t ask for gold or silver or directly asked to marry him after the young master made such a promise to her.

She wants to listen to the son play?

Really ingenious.

Feng Xiaoya frowned slightly, as if she didn’t want to agree.

Qiu Jiang suddenly flew up, kicked lightly on the door, and a white horse flew out from the door. But she didn’t stop, she pulled Bai Lian to the sycamore tree three feet away, and tied one end to it. In this way, from the door to the sycamore tree, there is a three-foot-long and three-foot-wide white chain hanging impressively.

Qiu Jiang turned around, smiled at Feng Xiaoya, then jumped on Bailian and started dancing.

The loose monk’s robe fluttered, and her footsteps were as light as falling flowers. Wherever she touched, there was a wave of waves in Bai Lian, like a lake stirred by the wind, spreading layer by layer.

Her hair is so black, her clothes are so white, there is no other color except a little blush on her lips. But that little bit of bright red has turned into a spell that seduces the soul, a poison that makes people unable to turn their eyes away, and they are not willing to turn their eyes away just like that.

The little monk at the side didn’t dare to look any more, and quickly lowered his eyes, thinking to Amitabha Buddha in his heart: “It’s over, it’s over, the pre-Brahma mantra of Matangi girl is about to begin…”

And just as he was worried, Feng Xiaoya moved.

Feng Xiaoya pulled out a flute from under the seat, and began to play in response to Qiu Jiang’s dance.

The sound of the flute was clear and crisp at the beginning, a little light and a little nimble, just like a butterfly flying wantonly in the spring; after a few turns, it became passionate, the butterfly met the flower of yearning, and spun around the flower branch; and then , It is a beautiful scenery, every section is full of emotions and thoughts, pushing up wave after wave…

Suddenly, a gust of wind came and broke the flower branch, and the flower crashed down and fell into the mountain stream. Butterfly wanted to save her in panic, but watched the flowers washed away by the stream.

A series of high-pitched notes are as dense as rain, and the autumn **** on Bai Lian is spinning fast, as if a butterfly is desperately chasing flowers. After that, the sound of the flute gradually became depressed, and it would not stop. After several struggles, it was finally powerless.

Accompanied by the last long drag, Qiu Jiang leaned on Bai Lian weakly and bonelessly, without raising his head for a long time.

For a while, everything was quiet.

The attendants and the young monk were shocked and silent.

Needless to say, the little monk, the followers were shocked that Qiu Jiang could keep up with the son’s tune! The song they collaborated on was truly seamless, as if they had practiced countless times before.

Meng Buli and Jiao Buqi were still intoxicated, when they suddenly heard Feng Xiaoya say: “Let’s go.”

The two froze for a moment, what? What did the son say? Walk? Just leave? Looking back, she saw that Feng Xiaoya had inserted the flute back under the couch, closed her eyes as if she had nothing to do with her. So they knew, they heard right, the young master really wanted to leave.

Meng Buli and Jiao Buqi immediately removed the dishes, buckled the car wall back, then turned their horses and left.

Qiu Jiang got up from Bai Lian, looked at them without saying a word.

Seeing that the carriage was about to leave the gate of the temple, a group of villagers rushed in from outside, shouting: “Qiu Jiang Qiu Jiang, go back quickly! Go back—”

Qiu Jiang jumped off Bai Lian and asked, “Uncle Chen, Aunt Lu? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, my good boy, you must hold on, poor…” The village woman called Aunt Lu hugged her and cried loudly.

Uncle Chen said in a deep voice: “Your house… accidentally caught fire, and your father and your mother… both died…”

Qiu Jiang ran away.

Meng Buli and Jiao Buqi, who were sitting on the shaft of the chariot, felt a gust of wind passing by them, and when they looked closely again, Qiu Jiang had already rushed out of the temple gate, her long hair and monk clothes flew straight up in the wind, and her feet …is naked.

Looking back again, Bai practiced and lost two shoes at some point. The shoes are also men’s shoes exclusively for monks, and they are obviously too big, so they fall off when I get excited. Qiu Jiang was wearing such big shoes just now—dancing?

Meng Buli and Jiao Buqi looked at each other again with complicated eyes.

In the car, Feng Xiaoya looked at Qiu Jiang through the curtain, with no expression on her silent face, she just ordered again: “Go.”

The carriage swayed down the mountain, and from a distance, the fire in the Qiujia Restaurant was extinguished, but it was still smoking, and the burned ruins submerged the original prosperity. Before the crowd dispersed, the autumn **** in the moon-white monk’s robe was a particularly eye-catching point, blooming abruptly against the dark background.

Jiao Buqi sighed: “So she is Boss Qiu’s daughter… She really doesn’t look like her parents… Poor, now both parents are dead…”

Meng Buli hummed again.

When she got closer, she saw Qiu Jiang kneeling in front of two charred corpses, her snow-white bare feet were covered with blood, she didn’t cry, but lowered her head, and with an unusually calm expression, she tore off the sleeves that covered the corpses. face.

The carriage passed the wine house slowly.

Qiu Jiang stood up and bowed to everyone, and the villagers returned their salutes one after another.

The scene was extremely quiet, as if the whole world was mourning for it.

The carriage left the wine house.

After Qiu Jiang thanked everyone, he carried the corpse onto the cart pulled by the villagers, and then pushed the cart to walk in the opposite direction.

Whether it was Feng Xiaoya in the carriage, or Qiu Jiang who was pushing the corpse up the mountain, neither of them looked back or looked at each other again…

***

Under the lamp, Qiu Jiang knelt in front of the chessboard, staring at the chess board above, holding a black chess piece on her fingertips, and pondered for a long time.

In a corner of the room, Master Yi Ya and his disciples were still tied up.

The little monk burst into tears: “Your monk has already done what you said, why did you go back on your word and let my master go?”

Qiu Jiang sighed, his gaze was still fixed in the game: “Strange…” After thinking about it, he turned to the little monk and asked, “Is my vegetarian food not good?”

The little monk was taken aback.

“I’m not a good dancer?”

The little monk was taken aback again.

“My life experience is not miserable enough?” At this point, Qiu Jiang got up and walked back and forth a few times, “Feng Xiaoya’s ten wives have three common characteristics.”

The little monk couldn’t help but ask, “What are the characteristics?”

“One, they all have a skill. The eldest wife Gong Xiaohui is good at business, known as the female Bai Gui; the third wife Shang Qingque is good at all things of pleasure; the fourth wife Wang Fuya is good at raising flowers and plants; the fifth wife Luo Ying is good at chess; the sixth wife Duan Jin is good at playing chess. The seventh wife, Shen Yanzhi, is good at literature; the eighth wife, Zhang Ling, is good at medicine; the ninth wife, Pei Xiyu, is good at martial arts. Only the second wife, Li Wanwan, is more mysterious, and I don’t know her director for the time being.”

The little monk thought about it, it was true.

“Secondly, they are not good girls in everyone’s eyes. Gong Xiaohui is eight years older than him; Li Wanwan abandoned him; Shang Qingque is a widow and lame; Wang Fuya is a dwarf; Luo Ying is someone else’s escaped concubine; Duan Jinxuan Shen Yanzhi is a prostitute; Zhang Ling is also a widow; and Pei Xiyu is even more outrageous, she used to be a female prisoner…”

The little monk glanced at her: “You are also qualified.”

“Three, before marrying Feng Xiaoya, they all lived miserable lives. Gong Xiaohui was in huge debts; Li Wanwan was a beggar; Shang Qingque was the laughing stock of Yujing’s famous show; Sending back and forth; Luo Ying was beaten by her husband; Duan Jin was exploited by profiteers; Shen Yanzhi took over fifty benefactors in one day; Zhang Ling was harassed by bullies; ah.”

“And now your parents both died in the burning house, it’s also very tragic.”

Qiu Jiang nodded: “That’s right. So, I first showed him my superb cooking skills and my mastery of Buddhist principles, then I showed my accomplishments in rhythm and dance, and finally, I created a miserable appearance…but still nothing. Success. Why?”

The little monk was speechless.

Fang Wuya opened his eyes slightly with drooping brows, and was about to speak when Qiu Jiang pressed his hand on his face and stopped him.

“Don’t talk, I’m impatient to hear your ramblings.” Qiu Jiang snapped his fingers as he spoke, and two men in black came in immediately outside the door, “Since the first day of June is over, the old monk should travel far again. This time If you leave, you don’t have to come back.”

When the little monk heard this, he immediately became anxious: “How can this be done? Our Yuanmu Temple…” Before he could finish speaking, the man in black stuffed his mouth with a cloth ball and dragged him out together with Master Toothless.

Yaya looked at Qiu Jiang, his eyes were full of compassion, and he couldn’t help but said: “Do what you want, and ask for what you want. It’s like asking for fish while leaning against a tree. Amitabha, turn around and do what you want.”

Qiu Jiang sneered: “The master has been away from home for a long time, and he is well-versed in everything. I am afraid that he has forgotten that there are many people in the world of mortals. There is no turning back.”

“If you have the heart, you will find your own way back.” While speaking, the man in black dragged Toothless out of the threshold, the door closed again, and the room suddenly fell silent.

The mocking expression on Qiu Jiang’s face disappeared little by little, and she looked down at her bare feet, which were covered with scars, her eyes were heavy, and it was difficult to distinguish between joy and sorrow.

“Where there is a heart, there is a way back…” Qiu Jiang stepped on the ground, and blood oozes from the wound immediately, but she didn’t realize it, and she walked step by step.