Zhou Zishan added, "Village Chief, quickly return for your meal. We just need a mouthful here. There's still some leftover food. It will be done in the afternoon. "
Zhou Ziyuan said, "That's right. Village Chief, look at us. We are doing quite well. The sky is high and the land is wide. We ate comfortably. Besides, we didn't do much the entire morning. "Upon saying that, Zhou Ziyuan's face blushed a little. Such a huge plot of land had been taken care of by helpers. He did not even know if he should collect today's wages. If he did, how much should he collect? How could he have the nerve to join them for a meal?
The youngest, Zhou Ziheng, did not say a word. His eyes were darting around. At his age, he was the age where he cared about food. Who would want to eat noodles if they could eat well? However, Zhou Ziheng ultimately did not say a word.
All of this was seen clearly by Fangzheng, Wang Yougui, and Tan Juguo. Fangzheng wanted to say something but was held back by Tan Juguo. Then, Tan Juguo said something to Fangzheng that left him taken aback before he laughed.
Seeing Wang Yougui and Tan Juguo leave, a look of disappointment flashed in the two children's eyes. As for Zhou Ziheng, he was already used to it. Although he looked forward to it, it was fine if it wasn't there. After all, it was not the first time. He could not take it seriously since it was just a polite remark. If he really went, wouldn't it be awkward if he didn't have the intention? He had encountered it a few times along the way. Now, he had learned his lesson. Regardless of whether it was there or not, he would pretend that it wasn't there.
"Venerable One, why aren't you returning for your meal?" Zhou Ziheng came to Fangzheng's side and asked out of curiosity.
Fangzheng smiled, "Amitabha. This Penniless Monk wishes to scrounge a meal from you. Is that alright?"
Zhou Ziheng was taken aback as he pointed at the plain noodles in his pot. "You … You are eating this?"
Fangzheng smiled, "This Penniless Monk is a monk. To be honest, a year ago, This Penniless Monk did not even know where his next meal would be. This Penniless Monk ate quite a lot of wild vegetables to allay his hunger. "
Upon hearing that Fangzheng came from a poor family, Zhou Ziheng immediately felt a lot closer to Fangzheng. He smiled, "Alright, let's eat together. Let me tell you, we carried these noodles all the way here from Shaanxi. This is the pantyband noodles. It's especially good for filling your stomach, and you'll have enough strength after you're full. "
Zhou Ziheng chatted idly with Fangzheng by the side. As they chatted, Zhou Ziheng realized that the monk was truly different from the monks he had met in the past. He did not put on any airs, nor did he seem like an outsider. He was like a neighbor's brother. The more they chatted, the more relaxed they became …
"Venerable One, you are already a monk at such a young age. Are you not planning on getting married in the future?" asked Zhou Ziheng.
Fangzheng smiled. "This Penniless Monk can renounce asceticism in the future, but it will depend on fate. The time will come. Almsgiver, your eldest brother and second brother are already married. When are you planning to get married? "
"Me …" Zhou Ziheng was stunned for a moment. Then, he raised his head and laid down on the ridge of the field. He looked at the few white clouds in the blue sky and said, "I'm still young, there's no rush …"
Fangzheng knew that Zhou Ziheng was going against his heart. Which young man did not want to get married? It was not that he was not in a rush, but that he could not.
Indeed, Zhou Ziheng began to pour out his grievances. "Venerable One, you might not know this, but although we are poor, it's very difficult to get a wife. The dowry, the house, everything … Sigh, I don't dare think about it now. Let's talk about it when we earn money in the future. "
Fangzheng expressed his understanding. Even in the northeast, getting married was not an easy matter, much less in the northwest. The entire country's market was about the same, and it might be easy to find a girlfriend. She would not mind your poverty or everything about you. But when it came time for marriage, it was no longer a matter of two young people, but a matter of two families. Be it to compete, to save face, or for the children's good, in short, the dowry was something that could not be avoided. Once it was done, it could not be less than the other families, right? Therefore, one family would compete with the other, and in the end, the heavy burden would land on the parents and children. It was unknown how many couples had collapsed …
This was also one of the reasons why Fangzheng was in no rush to renounce asceticism. If he were to renounce asceticism now, he would not be able to marry any woman he found.
The two continued chatting. Zhou Ziheng was different from his two brothers. Although his life was rather tough, he was still rather optimistic. He always felt that his future would be better. He yearned for an opportunity to soar into the sky and return to his hometown in glory. Furthermore, Zhou Ziheng had other ideas. He worked hard to earn money and buy a combined harvester. Then, he would join a convoy and travel from south to north and back to south. In the future, when he earned money, he would start a combined harvester business.
In Zhou Ziheng's world, he was not limited to wielding a sickle to reap wheat. However, in Zhou Ziheng's words, no one would believe him if he told others. They would say that he was crazy. Fangzheng was the first person to acknowledge him, so he was rather happy.
Fangzheng smiled. "A person without dreams will never have the right to mock a person with dreams. A person with dreams will never have the right to mock a person who works hard for his dreams. The former doesn't even dare to dream, so how can he improve? The latter only dreams without putting it into practice. How is that possible? "
Zhou Ziheng immediately beamed when he heard that. "Abbot Fangzheng sure is knowledgeable. What you say is nice."
Fangzheng smiled. Perhaps it was because they heard that Fangzheng would be staying for a meal, Zhou Zishan and Zhou Ziheng went out. Not long after, they returned with some wild vegetables. Zhou Zishan said, "Abbot Fangzheng, sorry about that. We don't have much to entertain you with. It's not like you eat meat or drink alcohol. "
Fangzheng smiled. "This Penniless Monk usually eats plain rice and bamboo shoots. This is the first time This Penniless Monk is eating Pidan Noodles. It's even an authentic dish from the northwest. This is something that you can't get your hands on even if you have a lantern. Why would there be a need for anything else? "
Zhou Zishan did not think so when Fangzheng said so. He had not interacted with Fangzheng for long, but he could sense that Fangzheng's standing in One Finger Village was even higher than Village Chief Wang Yougui's. How could Fangzheng be poor? However, Fangzheng's words were pleasing to him. It also reduced his awkwardness.
Just as he was about to cook the wild vegetables …
Suddenly, he saw a group of villagers coming from afar. All of them carried bags of various sizes. Some of them carried trays with quite a lot of food on them.
"This is?" Zhou Zishan and company were taken aback.
Wang Yougui came over first. "The weather is good, and the people are good. With such a scene, we naturally have to have a drink! Since you aren't going to the village to eat, let's have a picnic here! Haha, they are all specialties of our village. There aren't many good things, so please don't blame us if we don't treat you well. "
Zhou Zishan watched as the villagers placed a round table on the ground and covered it with cloth. They placed piping hot chicken, duck, fish, bamboo shoots, fragrant white rice, and large buns! Zhou Zishan's eyes immediately turned red.
Zhou Zishan had traveled extensively and had come to the northeast in the past. He knew that although the northeast also ate noodles, it was mainly used as a side dish. Furthermore, in the countryside, buns were typically only steamed after winter. There were basically no buns during this season. Then, the buns in front of him … With this in mind, Zhou Zishan held Wang Yougui's hand. The burly man's eyes were red. He opened his mouth a few times, but he was at a loss for words. Finally, he hugged Wang Yougui and whispered, "Thank you, thank you …"
Upon seeing this scene, the busy villagers stopped. For some reason, everyone felt their hearts wince when they saw Zhou Zishan's actions. What kind of experience could make a seven-foot-tall man cry in the face of such a normal meal? What had they experienced?
Fangzheng pressed his palms together. "Amitabha. Excellent indeed."
"Thank you …" Shen Aijia and company were touched by the villagers' actions. They had never been treated in such a manner by so many people. This warmth melted their hearts.
After the dishes and drinks were laid out, everyone took their seats. The sky was high and the sea was wide. They ate, chatted, drank, and chatted. This was a banquet in the countryside.
Not far away, Meng Meng stealthily pulled the boy and girl away. She ran to a place not far away and took out a big bowl from her bulging clothes. The bowl was filled with delicious chicken legs, chicken hearts, chicken wings, and so on. Then, with the temperament of a big sister, she pushed the bowl in front of the two children and said, "Eat! It's all delicious! "
The girl, Zhou Huaying, and the boy, Zhou Huacheng, were ultimately children. No matter how young a child in the countryside became, it was in a child's nature to love to eat. Upon seeing so much delicious food, they clapped happily. After thanking Mengmeng, the three children hid on a small slope and began eating. However, they did not know that no one could see Mengmeng secretly leaning over the table to steal chicken wings and drumsticks. However, everyone knew that the child would not do anything rash, so no one stopped her. But in the eyes of the children, this was the fruit of victory that they had won from battle. It tasted even more delicious.
After three rounds of drinking, everyone drank quite a bit. The Zhou brothers' faces were flushed red. The more they drank, the more talkative they became. They poured out all the hardships and hardships they had experienced along the way. When Wang Yougui and company heard their experiences, they felt mixed feelings. Who could imagine the hardships of sleeping in the wilderness, digging for wild vegetables, and bringing a family all the way here? Especially when they had to suffer the rolling of their eyes …
When he reached a point of excitement, Zhou Zishan stood up and pulled a wooden board over. Zhou Ziyuan took out his hand to beat the beat, while Zhou Ziheng struck his rice bowl. The three of them began singing at the top of their coarse voices.
"Flying in the sky — yellow sand!"
"Earth fills the sky — yellow sand!"
"Yellow sand falls — it's my home!"
…
No matter how good or beautiful the outside world was, even birds knew to return to their nests. Who wouldn't miss home?
On this day, Zhou Zishan and his two brothers got drunk …
As for Fangzheng, he led his disciples to secretly harvest the remaining paddy.
Following that, Fangzheng told them that Zhou Zishan had a sick mother at home. He had gone out to earn money to treat his mother's illness and not to buy a combined harvester. Everyone sighed when they heard that.
Tan Juguo smoked his pipe and said, "He's a real man!"
Everyone nodded.
Fangzheng said, "This Penniless Monk has an idea, but I need all of you to agree."
"Abbot Fangzheng, just say it. We have people and money. I support you! "Tan Juguo seemed to know what Fangzheng was getting at as he said with a smile.
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