A Small Temple and an Old Monk
Some people went to Chang 'an in the west, some went to Shanghai in the south, and some went to the capital in the north. They were all running around for what they wanted, but no one knew the final result. The former was because of Qin Sheng, and the latter two were also because of Qin Sheng, but they were not his friends.
Compared with the small fights against Qin Sheng, the storm against Qin Changan and the Qin Family was still brewing. When everyone thought that this storm would be similar to the previous ones, where the thunder would be loud but the raindrops would be small, and then there would be a rainbow after the rain. However, some people were already worried.
Wutai Mountain in Shanxi was one of the four famous Buddhist mountains. The five peaks towered above the clouds, and there were no trees on the top, just like a platform made of earth, so it was called Wutai. Wutai Mountain was also the only Buddhist Taoist temple in the country where both green and yellow temples coexisted. There were 47 temples in total, most of which were built by imperial edict, or royal temples. Many emperors came to worship them. There were also many legends about Wutai Mountain, such as Lord Shunzhi, who saw through the world of mortals and gave up his country, and finally became a monk in Wutai Mountain.
Nanchan Temple was one of the oldest temples in Wutai Mountain. The temple was located in the north and facing the south. It was unknown when it was first built. It was rebuilt in the era of Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty, and was later destroyed. Only the Big Buddha Hall was left from the Tang Dynasty, and the others were mostly built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty destroyed Buddhism, and only Nanchan Temple escaped this disaster and luckily survived on Wutai Mountain. Therefore, it became the oldest existing wooden building.
The Nanchan Temple was not big. There were only a few buildings in the shape of a quadrangle. The most famous ones were the Buddha statues from the Tang Dynasty. Except for the Mogao Caves, these were the earliest Buddha statues in the country. Unfortunately, they were robbed 20 years ago, which caused the temple to suffer a heavy loss.
Although Nanchan Temple was in Wutai County, it was not in the scenic area of Wutai Mountain. Instead, it was in a small village dozens of kilometers away, far away from the hustle and bustle of Wutai Mountain. Therefore, there were not many tourists, and only a few monks in the temple.
There was an old monk who was over 60 years old. He came to Nanchan Temple more than 20 years ago and had never left Wutai County since then. Now he was a relatively old monk in the temple, but he did not care about anything. Every day, he just swept the floor and wiped the inscriptions of the Buddha statues, and so on. Sometimes he would chat with a few tourists, but most of the time he was meditating and chanting.
At noon that day, after the old monk finished his work, he stood alone on the steps in front of the main hall in a daze. The other monks in the temple were used to the old monk's way of doing things. There were a lot of weeds in the courtyard, but the old monk didn't allow them to clean them up. He said that he would get rid of them when the green turned yellow, so everyone just let him be.
There were not many pilgrims. Most of them were tourists who came because of the fame of the temple. However, the villagers nearby were more respectful to them and often sent some things over. With the little incense money they had, they could live a good life. Of course, compared with the temples in the Wutai Mountain scenic area, they were really poor. However, those who chose to become monks here instead of going to the bustling Mount Wutai must have their own reasons.
The old monk happened to go to Xiantong Temple to find an eminent monk to discuss Taoism with. It was only after he came back that he found out what had happened. At that time, the very young old monk had stayed in the temple for five or six years. It was the first time he was angry. Later, the thieves were brought to justice, and many cultural relics were recovered. Everyone said that it was karma. Only the old monk knew what had happened.
Although the scenery of Nanchan Temple was not as beautiful as that of Mount Wutai, for the old monk, the blue sky above his head was already the most beautiful scenery. He was satisfied with these ancient wooden buildings. Moreover, he often went to the temples on Mount Wutai to visit the eminent monks and discuss Taoism. Sometimes he could stay there for one to half a month. No matter how good the scenery was, he had long been tired of it.
It was unknown why there were no pilgrims today. Several little monks were muttering again. It seemed that the food this month would be reduced again. The most important thing was that Nanchan Temple did not charge entrance fees, so some little monks planned to go to the temples on Mount Wutai, which would obviously be more comfortable than here.
Just after noon, a woman in a gray plain dress walked into Nanchan Temple. The sun outside was a little dazzling, so the woman wore sunglasses. In addition, she took good care of herself, so her specific appearance could not be seen clearly. However, from the woman's temperament, it could be seen that she came from a rich family. To put it bluntly, temperament could either be cultivated with money or cultivated with culture. It could not be contaminated with too much vulgarity. Then it would gradually come out.
Seeing that there was finally a pilgrim coming in, and it was a pilgrim who seemed to be rich, the few little monks inevitably felt a little excited. Maybe if she was in a good mood, she would give them more money. After all, there were many pilgrims who were rich and willing to spend money. Of course, the old monk knew what the little monks were thinking, but he did not bother to pay attention to it.
The two little monks took the initiative to approach her, bowed slightly, and said, "Amitabha."
The woman with extraordinary temperament just smiled and nodded, but did not return the salute. The woman did not walk into the main hall where the Buddha statue was surrounded by iron fences. Instead, she went straight to the old monk who was sitting in the yard and basking in the sun, which made the two little monks quite disappointed.
It was not until the woman approached that she took off her sunglasses. She was a middle-aged woman who was about 40 or 50 years old. Even though she took good care of herself, the years still left traces on her face. Moreover, nothing could hide the eyes that had experienced the vicissitudes of life.
Before the woman opened her mouth, the old monk, whose beard and eyebrows were all white and whose face was full of wrinkles, opened his eyes first and said, "It's been more than 20 years. We finally meet again." Compared with the woman's delicate and smooth skin, the old monk's skin was dark and rough, which was similar to that of the old people in the nearby villages. However, his legs and feet were more flexible, and he did not have any chronic diseases.
The woman's eyes were full of disdain. She sneered and said, "Then should I say 'long time no see'? Qin Changxing, I really did not expect that you have also holed up in this shabby temple for more than 20 years. You are more ruthless than I thought. "
Qin Changxing. When the old monk heard this name, he was slightly absent-minded. He had not heard this name for a long time. Even when his biological brother came last time, he did not call this name.
The old monk muttered to himself, "A day and a night in the world, and more than 10 years on the mountain, it is just so-so." It was not until then that the two little monks next to him realized that this seemingly charming female benefactor turned out to be the old monk's friend. They tactfully retreated and left. They were already familiar with the old monk, who would occasionally have all kinds of inexplicable old friends come over.
The middle-aged woman was full of hatred and sarcasm. It was really unknown what kind of deep hatred she had with the old monk. She continued to say bitterly and harshly, "Qin Changxing, it has been more than 20 years. Haven't you been a coward enough?"
The old monk smiled and did not get angry at all as he joked, "If being a monk means being a coward, then the people on Mount Wutai are all cowards. It is quite interesting."
The middle-aged woman laughed somewhat harshly and said, "Other people become monks because they have seen through the world of mortals. You become a monk because you want to escape from reality. You are not even one-tenth of your brother."
The old monk said disapprovingly, "Why haven't I seen through the world of mortals?"
The middle-aged woman snorted and said, "You know better than anyone else whether you have seen through the world of mortals or not. Don't forget what the Old Master said about you at that time. I'm afraid that you can't escape in this life. More than 20 years ago, you, Qin Changxing, were so glorious. Didn't you just encounter some setbacks? What did Qin Changan do? What did you do? More than 20 years later, those people who were your age at that time are now high-ranking officials with great power. Even Qin Changan is already standing at the top of the pyramid. Look at you, reduced to being a monk in a broken temple. You are really a disgrace to the Qin Family and the Zhao Family. I really don't know why I fell in love with you at that time. "
The old monk did not respond directly. Instead, he sighed and said somewhat disappointedly, "An Zhi, it has been more than 20 years. The things that happened in those years have already disappeared. Haven't you let it go? Moreover, it is rare for us to meet again. There is no need to talk about these trivial things. Can't we talk about the old days like old friends? "The old monk did not respond directly. Instead, he sighed and said somewhat disappointedly.
Her surname was Zhao, and her name was Anzhi. Unfortunately, she was the opposite.
The middle-aged woman called Zhao Anzhi shook her head and said with a bitter smile, "Talking about the old days? There is nothing to talk about between us. I just came to see if you were dead. I didn't expect that you could still recognize me."
"How can I not recognize you? After all, we have been husband and wife for so many years. Even after a few decades, I can still recognize you. It's just that I am already an old man over 60 years old, but you look like you have just entered middle age, "the old monk said lightly.
Yes, this woman called Zhao Anzhi was his former wife. After what happened that year, she went far away to Canada, and he also became a monk. From then on, they were husband and wife in name but not in reality.
Zhao Anzhi suddenly felt somewhat relieved. She looked up at the cloudless sky and let out a long sigh. "Forget it. It's useless for me to argue with you about this. So many years have passed. If you want to be a coward, continue to be a tortoise. Anyway, the next time we meet, it will be after I send you off. If you die in front of me."
"The separation of life and death has long been indifferent. Even the Old Master can die namelessly. Why can't I?" the old monk said lightly.
Zhao Anzhi laughed and said, "You don't deserve to mention the Old Master."
"There are some things that you don't know." The old monk shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about this. Why did you come back this time?"
Zhao Anzhi said casually, "I haven't been back for a few years. I just came back to see someone. At least he is the future of your Qin family."
When the old monk heard this, he suddenly became a little nervous. "Who?"
Zhao Anzhi suddenly laughed out loud and said, "Qin Changxing, Qin Changxing, it seems that your brother did not tell you. It means that he also has resentment towards you. If you want to know, then ask him yourself."
"Forget it. If you don't know, then I don't know." The old monk originally wanted to know, but he felt that the answer was meaningless to him now. So he gave up.
Zhao Anzhi smiled playfully, turned around and walked out. The old monk hesitated for a moment and finally braced himself to shout, "Anzhi, how is Yaya?"
After hearing this, Zhao Anzhi stopped subconsciously. Then, she turned around angrily and glared at the old monk, shouting, "Qin Changxing!"
"No matter what, I am her father," the old monk said in a daze.
Zhao Anzhi said hysterically, "She doesn't have a father like you. You don't deserve it. You don't deserve to be a son. You don't deserve to be a brother. You don't deserve to be a husband. You don't deserve to be a father. Your life is a failure. You should continue to be a monk."
The few little monks not far away were frightened by Zhao Anzhi's sudden anger. They did not expect this kind-looking female benefactor to be so irritable. They did not know how the old monk had provoked her. Could it be that this female benefactor was the old monk's old lover? Obviously, they guessed right.
After shouting these last words, Zhao Anzhi almost vented all the resentment that she had suppressed for more than 20 years. Then, she turned around and left without hesitation, leaving only the old monk in the yard in a daze.
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