Xue Zong said, "Abbot, we aren't kids. Don't say things that even a three-year-old wouldn't believe. I'll say it again. As long as you agree, I'll pay for the cost of moving the tree and its future maintenance."
Fangzheng felt a little helpless when he saw the warmhearted trio in front of him. How was he to explain?
Seeing Fangzheng remain silent, Shao Min imagined that he was unwilling. Her face turned cold as she said, "Abbot Fangzheng, are you unwilling?"
"Of course not. It's not like this bodhi tree hasn't survived winter here. It's even more nourishing in winter. Why must it be moved south?" At that moment, Red Boy jumped out and made a fuss.
Shao Min looked over when she heard that and saw a kid jump out. He looked extremely adorable with his fair skin. As for Red Boy's words, Shao Min thought nothing of it. She shook her head and said, "Kid, what do you know? You say it's nourishing in winter? It'll probably die the moment winter sets in. Abbot Fangzheng, are you willing to answer me? "
Fangzheng sighed. "Amitabha. Patron, this bodhi tree cannot be moved."
"You …" Shao Min was infuriated. Why was this monk so stubborn!?
Xue Zong frowned as well, but he did not say a word. He patted Shao Min on the shoulder and said, "Although it's quite a pity for the tree to freeze to death, it's ultimately the monastery's tree. It's also a matter of the monastery. Since Abbot is unwilling, I think we should forget about it."
"That's right. Let's burn some incense, pay our respects to Buddha, and enjoy the scenery. Let's leave. I'm still waiting to visit Changbai Mountain, "said Zhao Gang.
"Both of you! How infuriating! " Shao Min was immediately pissed when she heard that two of her own had betrayed her. She flung her hand and glared at Fangzheng before rushing out of the monastery. At the same time, she shouted, "Why are you paying respects to Buddha when you don't have Buddha in your heart!? Let's go home! "
Xue Zong took a glance at Fangzheng and nodded slightly before leaving.
Zhao Gang smiled at Fangzheng in embarrassment. From his point of view, the tree was Fangzheng's. How he handled it was up to Fangzheng. It was obviously fine if Shao Min had a different opinion, but all she had to do was raise her opinion. If Fangzheng agreed, he would do it. Wasn't it only natural if he didn't agree?
Shaking his head, Zhao Gang followed suit.
Watching the three of them leave, Red Boy grumbled, "Master, is this woman sick? Does she think whatever she wants? Aren't you angry at what she said? This doesn't match your personality! "
Fangzheng smiled. "This female patron has good intentions, but her actions are too radical. You should be more magnanimous towards good people."
"Oh …" Red Boy nodded thoughtfully and then asked tentatively, "Master, why were you so cruel to us?"
Fangzheng grinned at Red Boy. "My dear disciple, I remember that you like to eat rocks as snacks …"
"Master, there's something I don't understand! Master! "Hearing this, Red Boy's heart trembled and he hurriedly called out.
Fangzheng rapped him on the head and said, "You are smart. Go ahead and ask."
"Master, don't you think what she did was wrong? It's good to be a good person, but there should be a limit, "Red Boy said.
Fangzheng's eyes lit up when he heard that. He stared at Red Boy from head to toe, leaving Red Boy shuddering. Only then did he say, "Jingxin, you have finally learned how to consider problems. Not bad, not bad, not bad at all!"
This was the first time Fangzheng was praising Red Boy, but why did Red Boy feel that the praise made him feel awkward? It wasn't like he didn't have a brain. When did he not think? It was just that he seldom did. In the past, he liked to use his parents' way of thinking. How to beat this to death, how to eat that, what kind of pot to use … But that was still thinking, right?
Seeing Red Boy roll his eyes, Fangzheng thought nothing of it. "There is a limit to everything. Going too far is as bad as not going far enough. It's the same when doing good, especially when there isn't enough closure. One can only rely on one's own understanding to judge whether something is right or wrong. One might rashly believe that what one is doing is right and then force the will of others to do so. Then, good intentions might very well lead to bad things. This bodhi tree relies on the power of faith and Buddhistic aura to survive. Once it leaves One Finger Monastery, it will die even if it is transported back to the south. Unfortunately, she doesn't understand such things. "
Red Boy said, "So helping people isn't blind. It's no wonder every time I go out with you, you only take action after seeing through the situation. You don't act rashly the moment you see something amiss. Demanding corpses, as well as that old man and cheat … "
Fangzheng said, "Sometimes, what you see with your eyes and hear with your ears might not be the truth. The more you understand, the fewer mistakes you make. Do you understand? "
After Fangzheng said that, he turned to look at Squirrel, Lone Wolf, and Monkey who were still hiding by the door.
The few of them hurriedly nodded.
At that moment, Lone Wolf sniffed and said, "Master, what's that smell? It's odd … "
Fangzheng took a sniff and frowned. There was indeed a strange smell.
Squirrel, Red Boy, and Monkey also smelled it …
…
And at that moment, One Finger Monastery was filled with wails!
"You idiots. Weren't you squatting by the side to watch the mooncakes? Is this how you watch? "Fangzheng looked at the black mooncakes in the pot as he constantly grabbed his bald head.
Squirrel looked at the pot that was emitting black smoke and then at the mooncakes that resembled black ash. "Master, can it still be eaten?"
"Give it a try." Fangzheng rolled his eyes and took out a piece before stuffing it into Squirrel's hands.
Squirrel took a sniff and said with a sobbing tone, "It smells terrible!"
When he peeled open the mooncake, Squirrel was astonished to discover that it wasn't burnt! He gently tasted it …
"Pui! How disgusting! Where's the water? Where's the water? "Squirrel ran to find water.
Red Boy and company looked pitifully at Fangzheng. "Master, our mooncakes are gone …"
Fangzheng wore a look of exasperation when he heard that. All the ingredients had been used, but this was the outcome. Could it be that they wouldn't be able to eat mooncakes this year? He felt stifled …
The wails in the monastery were heard by Xue Zong, Zhao Gang, and Shao Min.
Shao Min immediately laughed. "This is retribution. They deserve not being able to eat mooncakes on the fifteenth of August!"
Zhao Gang said with a bitter smile, "My dear lady, is there a need for you to have such a huge grudge? Although that bodhi tree is precious, it's ultimately theirs. They can do whatever they want with it. Why are you making such a fuss? "
"I'm not competing. Do you know how difficult it is for a hundred-year-old tree to grow? Such a precious tree should be protected well and not left to freeze to death! "said Shao Min.
Zhao Gang said, "I obviously know it's difficult, but I know that typically, when transplanting such a tree, one has to chop off its branches and leaves to reduce its evaporation and water loss. If it was transplanted this year, would it be able to grow such a huge canopy? If it was transported in its entirety, it would be expensive. Who would spend so much money and effort to transport such a complete bodhi tree to such a remote monastery? "
Shao Min was taken aback when Zhao Gang said that. She had been feeling sorry for the old tree, but now that she thought about it, it did seem to make sense.
Xue Zong said, "The bodhi tree in the yard seems to have a well-developed root system. It doesn't look like it was planted temporarily. The soil doesn't look like it has been plowed recently either. "
Shao Min was taken aback when she heard that. She had been too agitated, and now that she thought about it carefully, the bodhi tree did not look like it had been transplanted recently. It was completely one with the monastery, as though it had grown naturally! Thinking back to what Fangzheng had said, Shao Min looked up at the huge bodhi tree canopy and felt a little lost. Could there really be a bodhi tree in this world that wasn't afraid of the cold? But … Was that possible?
"Shao Min, I think you are too impatient. If you encounter any problems, we can sit down and discuss it slowly. We can talk after we figure things out. Besides, what's the point of getting angry? After all, it belongs to them. What needs to be said and done has been done. If they like to listen, we can help them. If they don't listen, what else can we do? Can we still snatch it? Outside is different from home. They might not listen to us, "said Zhao Gang casually as he leaned against the wall. He was the kind of person who looked careless but was very meticulous.
Upon hearing Zhao Gang's words, Xue Zong nodded as well. "Indeed, we were thoughtless in the past."
Shao Min's temper was a little explosive. Seeing the two divert their attention to her, she felt aggrieved as her stubborn temper flared. "After saying so much, isn't it all just guessing? I don't know about other things, but if this monastery is really as you said, with a nouveau riche giving them a bodhi tree, it should at least have some popularity, right? Today is the mid-autumn festival. Other monasteries are filled with people, but this monastery doesn't even have a rat! How do you explain that? From the way I see it, there's something wrong with the monastery itself. Otherwise, it would be impossible for there to be no incense offerings at all. I remember going to Daming Monastery for the mid-autumn festival last year. Back then, many devotees gave the monastery mooncakes. That was the style of a large monastery. Look at this One Finger Monastery. That baldy can't even eat mooncakes, yet he has to make them himself! Can't you tell something from the side? "
The moment that was said, Xue Zong and Zhao Gang were rendered speechless. In fact, they were puzzled. Why was there no one in the monastery on such a festive day?
With questions in their minds, the trio descended the mountain. However, the more they walked, the more they felt that what Shao Min said made sense. It was still early when they first came up the mountain, so it was understandable that there was no one. However, it was almost noon when they descended the mountain, and no one came up the mountain. This meant that there was a problem. Could it be that there was really something wrong with the monastery? Why was no one going?
Just as the few of them were feeling puzzled, they saw a person sitting at the foot of the mountain. There was another person standing in front of him.
"Village Chief, what are you doing here?" Dog Song asked Wang Yougui, who was sitting on the steps, perplexed.
Wang Yougui smiled. "It's nothing. It's the festive, so I'm giving some mooncakes to Abbot Fangzheng. Old Man Tan just called me. He's going as well. I'll wait for him and keep him company. What are you doing? "
Dog Song was instantly amused. "What a coincidence. I'm also going to deliver mooncakes. Village Chief, what mooncakes are you giving me? Let me take a look. "With that said, Dog Song came over.
Wang Yougui said, "What are you looking at? It's just ordinary mooncakes. With that bit of salary of mine, what can I give?"
Dog Song took a look and was surprised to see a box of exquisite mooncakes inside. From the looks of it, it didn't look bad! Dog Song chuckled. "Village Chief, your mooncakes aren't cheap, right?"
PS: I saw many people leave comments asking me why I was posturing and smacking people in the face. Alright, I'm also in a difficult position. My novel was adapted from a real person, and my classmates are my classmates. As an author, I'm being looked down upon like a dog. In order to set off his high salary, he criticized my industry from his ignorant point of view … I'm just short of saying that my writing is worse than a dog's. Of course, I'll use the Guru's royalties to return the favor. This story is for those who think highly of themselves as retards. The retards in real life are even worse than those in books.
I'm also in a difficult position. When writing a story, everyone says it's a story. When writing a plot, everyone says it's water.
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