In the beginning, Fangzheng had thought of planting it in the monastery, but from the looks of it, it wasn't a good idea. After leaving One Finger Monastery, Fangzheng looked around and finally brought the Frost Bamboo seed to an empty space beside the Crystal Rice paddy.
"Alright, I'll plant it here." As he spoke, Fangzheng dug a hole and buried the seed before watering it. However, the scene of it immediately sprouting did not happen. Shaking his head, Fangzheng came to the paddy field. The Crystal Rice seed had completely sprouted, making the paddy field appear green.
With everything settled, Fangzheng called out to Monkey, Lone Wolf, and Squirrel. They carried baskets and headed into the forest to search for mushrooms. Although they might not be able to find them, they had nothing better to do.
Days passed one after another. The construction team repaired the road at an extremely fast speed. Soon, they were halfway done. One day, Fangzheng opened the monastery's door and was stunned. Standing by the door was a white-haired old woman. She was wearing a qipao that had been washed so many times that it had turned white. Her silver hair was combed neatly and she raised her chin slightly. She did not look like an old woman but a queen on patrol.
However, her attire gave Fangzheng a fright. He looked up into the sky. The sun was out. There was no problem. She was not a ghost … Looking at the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall behind him, he recalled his identity. Even if she was a ghost, there was no reason for him to be afraid. He felt completely relieved.
"Amitabha. Patron, please come on in." Fangzheng did not ask any questions. He turned his body and pressed his palms together.
"Venerable One, you are being too polite." The old woman smiled. Her smile was very natural and amiable. Then, he lifted his leg and crossed the high threshold of the monastery. When he looked up, he saw the lush Bodhi tree in the middle of the monastery.
"Bodhi tree? That's right, "mumbled the old woman.
Fangzheng heard her clearly but he did not ask any questions.
At that moment, Fangzheng's cell phone rang. He picked it up and realized it was an unknown number.
At the same time, a beautiful figure appeared at the foot of Mt. One Finger. She was tall and dressed in black. She wore sunglasses and was none other than Jing Yan whom he had not seen in a while.
Although they had never exchanged numbers, it was not difficult for Jing Yan to obtain Fangzheng's number with her abilities.
Just as Fangzheng picked up the call, he heard a familiar voice. "Abbot Fangzheng, long time no see. I'm Jing Yan."
"Amitabha. So it's Patron Jing Yan. Patron, is there something?" Fangzheng asked casually as he looked at the elder who was standing under the bodhi tree with her palms pressed together in silent prayer.
"Abbot Fangzheng, I'm definitely here for something. First of all, did you see an old man with white hair wearing a cheongsam? "Jing Yan asked anxiously.
Fangzheng was taken aback. Just as he was about to reply, the old woman turned to look at Fangzheng and shook her head slightly.
Fangzheng smiled bitterly. "Amitabha. A monk does not lie. Sorry, Patron."
The old woman turned around and refused to look at Fangzheng. Clearly, she was a little unhappy.
Then Fangzheng said to Jing Yan, "The elder is here, but she doesn't seem to wish for you to come up. Benefactor, who is she to you? "
"Would you believe me if I said she's my grandmother?" Jing Yan returned with a question.
Fangzheng did not say a word as Jing Yan continued, "Abbot Fangzheng, I'm just joking. She's not my grandmother. Her name is Liu Fangfang. You might not feel much from her name, but she has a nickname, the Ghost by the Songhua River. "
"Oh?!" Fangzheng was taken aback. There was actually someone with such a nickname?
"Don't be alarmed. She's a human, not a ghost. However, she's no different from a ghost. The people from the Civil Affairs Bureau are going crazy over her. She has no family and no one even knows of her past. All they know is that she appears daily at the Songhua River's old dock in Black Mountain City. Like a ghost, she has been wandering for decades. The workers at the old dock have changed batch after batch. The residents by the side have changed batch after batch. She's the only one that hasn't changed. Perhaps there were people who knew of her past in the past, but those people are no longer around, "said Jing Yan.
Fangzheng walked to the temple hall as Monkey came out. He pressed his palms together and bowed at the old woman. The old woman was taken aback before a look of hope appeared on her face.
Fangzheng asked softly, "Patron Jing Yan, why are you telling This Penniless Monk this? This Penniless Monk isn't a staff member of the Civil Affairs Bureau … "
"Venerable Fangzheng, what's the rush? Can you listen to me first? "asked Jing Yan.
"Alright." Then, Fangzheng walked out of the monastery to prevent the old woman from hearing him.
Jing Yan said, "Abbot Fangzheng, the old dock is about to be demolished."
"What!?" Fangzheng nearly exclaimed. He knew very well how terrifying a person's obsession was. The old woman appeared to be in good spirits, but that was because she had hope supporting her. For her to persist on staying at a dock for decades without leaving, there had to be some sort of persistence involved. To demolish the dock now was equivalent to severing the old woman's hope. It was equivalent to murder!
"I know what you are worried about. My friends from the Civil Affairs Bureau and I are worried that something will happen to her. But … We are really out of options. If not for her, the dock would have been demolished ten years ago. It has dragged on until now, and the leaders have changed twice. And this time, the entire Black Mountain City will be remodeled. The old city district will be demolished. The old dock is famous for being dirty and messy. More importantly, its existence will prevent further demolitions from being carried out. One event after another, that area will not be moved at all … This time, the higher-ups are really going to demolish it, "said Jing Yan.
Fangzheng said in a deep voice, "So, you sent her to This Penniless Monk? What happens after that? What will happen to her if the dock is gone? "
"I'm out of options. I know you are capable, so … Please, please think of a solution," said Jing Yan.
Fangzheng was rendered completely speechless. He had been forced to do something beyond his abilities! It would have been fine if he did not know about it, but since he knew, he could not ignore it.
"The problem is, you sent an old woman that This Penniless Monk does not know anything about. How do you expect This Penniless Monk to communicate with her?" Fangzheng was rendered speechless as well. Even a top student would be dumbfounded if he was given a blank piece of paper to solve a problem, right? Fangzheng was currently in such a state.
"Don't be anxious. It's not like you are completely clueless," said Jing Yan.
Fangzheng seemed to see hope as he immediately asked, "What do you know?"
"At least I know her name is Liu Fangfang," said Jing Yan.
Fangzheng rolled his eyes. He really wanted to go down the mountain and smack the woman to death! What was the point of just knowing a name?
"Venerable Fangzheng, don't you know fortune-telling? Can't you divine something just by knowing her name? "asked Jing Yan.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
