Fangzheng wasn't angry when he heard that. Instead, he said indifferently, "In fact, my standing isn't as high as chickens and ducks."
Red Boy was instantly taken aback before recalling what Fangzheng had said. He said thoughtfully, "Master, are you telling the truth?"
Fangzheng said, "This Penniless Monk can only answer his questions. Chickens and ducks can allow him to survive and even lead a good new year. If you were in his shoes, who do you think has a higher standing? "
Red Boy said decisively, "Chickens and ducks!"
Fangzheng shrugged helplessly and said, "That's right. If it were This Penniless Monk, This Penniless Monk would also choose chickens and ducks. Let's go. Let's go to a small store. "
"Master, let's get down to business first. What's so good about a small store? "Red Boy asked, perplexed.
Fangzheng smiled. "A small store is a good place. Every village's small store gathers all the gossips in the village. It's a place with the best information. It's similar to the taverns in wuxia novels. However, there's no one drinking here. They're all smokers … "
Red Boy smiled. "Why don't we change the name to Opium House?"
Fangzheng glared at him. "Don't spout nonsense. This word isn't a good word in China's history."
Red Boy shrunk his neck, indicating that he understood.
As they spoke, the two of them had already walked into a small shop.
Although it was called a small store, it wasn't small at all. It was about forty to fifty square meters, and there weren't many shelves inside. After all, it was a small business in the village. It sold oil, salt, vinegar, instant noodles, fine noodles, cigarettes, alcohol, and snacks. Most of them were small tables with stools by the side. A large group of men and women sat there smoking, drinking, and chatting.
There were also people playing mahjong, and there were also people playing cards. There were three to five people watching the fun. Suddenly, the small store felt full of people.
The moment he pushed open the door, Fangzheng felt a thick smell of tobacco inundate him. Fangzheng took a whiff and felt suffocated. Following that, he felt like coughing. When Red Boy saw this, he hurriedly used a spell to block the smoke outside. Only then did Fangzheng heave a sigh of relief. He nodded in satisfaction and gave Red Boy a thumbs up.
Upon hearing the door open, everyone subconsciously looked over. When they saw Fangzheng enter, all of them stopped playing cards or speaking. All of them stood up to greet him.
"Hello, Abbot Fangzheng!"
"Aiyah, Abbot Fangzheng, what brings you here?"
"Abbot Fangzheng, have a seat here."
"Abbot Fangzheng, why did you come down the mountain in such cold weather? Is there not enough heating on the mountain? I have some coal at home. Do you want to take it back? "
Upon hearing these simple voices, Fangzheng pressed his palms together to thank them. He also thanked everyone for their gifts. Even so, he was forced to sit on a chair that had just been vacated. It left Fangzheng extremely embarrassed. Although he had some merits, the people he had helped were few. Five Rivers Village was rather far from Mt. One Finger. There weren't many villagers who could benefit from One Finger Monastery. If there were, it would be a few children who were sent to One Finger Village to learn carving.
Fangzheng truly felt guilty when he did the math. He felt like he was missing something if he didn't return the favor. The moment this thought arose, he couldn't suppress it. However, Fangzheng didn't have any good means to help these kind-hearted villagers. All he could do was keep it in mind.
Everyone kept asking questions all day. During this period, Fangzheng drank two cups of water. Seeing that everyone was almost done, he diverted the topic. "Patrons, This Penniless Monk did come down the mountain for a reason. This Penniless Monk heard that just yesterday, a patron nearly froze to death while sleeping in a haystack. Is that true? "
Upon hearing Fangzheng's question, everyone was clearly taken aback.
Following that, everyone wore looks of anger.
A balding man said, "Are you talking about Eighth Qiu? Hehe, that old fellow really deserves it! "
The moment that was said, Fangzheng was taken aback. Eighth Qiu deserved it? When did someone who nearly froze to death deserve it? Could it be that Honest Liu wasn't speaking the truth?
"Eighth Qiu indeed deserves it. Tell me, this old fellow was chased out by his daughter. Old Jin kindly took him in and helped him call the police, hoping to help him teach that unfilial bastard of a daughter a lesson. In the end, he refused to admit that he was chased out when the police came, claiming that he had run away from home. It caused Old Jin to be reprimanded by the police, claiming that he had made a false report. He was nearly brought back for investigation, "someone echoed.
Only then did Fangzheng realize that what everyone was saying was completely different from what he had imagined. It was roughly the same as what Honest Liu had said.
Fangzheng asked with a curious look, "Oh? He was chased out to sleep in a haystack, but he still defended his daughter. This Eighth Qiu sure treats his daughter well. "
As soon as he said that, the group of people who were originally filled with indignation actually nodded subconsciously.
The balding man added, "Sigh … Eighth Qiu is indeed a good person. Unfortunately, his good heart was fed to heartless snakes and scorpions. "
"What do you mean by that?" Fangzheng immediately asked.
Upon hearing Fangzheng's question, everyone began speaking up. They spoke one after another, saying all sorts of things at once. Thankfully, Fangzheng's brain was no longer as fast as it was when he was still in school. He rapidly memorized what everyone said before summarizing it. Gradually, he began to have a general understanding of the Qiu family's situation.
Eighth Qiu didn't mean that he was ranked eighth in the Qiu family, but that there were eight people with the surname Qiu in all of Five Rivers Village. According to age, he happened to be ranked eighth. Eighth Qiu's wife had always been frail and sickly. When she was young, she gave birth to her eldest daughter, Qiu Baihong. However, in that era, the village still valued sons over daughters. Therefore, Eighth Qiu kept thinking of having a son.
This resulted in plans for a second child. Finally, he gave birth to his second daughter, Qiu Jinyu, two years later. In the end, Eighth Qiu's wife, who was frail and sickly to begin with, didn't wake up during the labor.
Back then, Eighth Qiu felt guilty, believing that his stubbornness had caused his wife's death. At the same time, he had some resentment towards his second daughter. Furthermore, life was indeed difficult back then, so he passed Qiu Jinyu to another family in the village with the surname Qiu. The family had no children, so they were naturally very willing to take in Qiu Jinyu.
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