Unbeknownst to Fangzheng, as they spent more time together, be it Lone Wolf, Monkey, Squirrel, or Red Boy, they gradually treated themselves as members of One Finger Monastery. Although Fangzheng was very gentle to them, he was always the most important master in their hearts. If Fangzheng wasn't angry, everyone would have fun. If Fangzheng wasn't happy, everyone would feel uneasy, afraid that they would be kicked out of the monastery.
As the saying goes, the more you value something, the more you care about it. If you don't value something, who cares what it is?
Therefore, even though it was just a small mistake, Squirrel felt uneasy.
This was different from Fangzheng. When Fangzheng was young, he treated One Finger Temple as his home. Zen Master One Finger was his father! Furthermore, in that era, people's thoughts were very pure. Without the influence of the Internet, his thinking age remained at that innocent age, unlike Squirrel and company, who had already been corrupted by Red Boy.
Fangzheng, who was still young, was a mischievous and innocent kid. The thought of being kicked out never crossed his mind! Therefore, he had never worried about this.
However, Squirrel and company were different. After all, they were adults, so they had more thoughts.
Fangzheng patted Squirrel on the head.
Squirrel said with a sobbing tone, feeling aggrieved, "Master, I was clearly very careful … In the past, I could hold it steadily, but for some reason, my hands keep trembling this time. Boohoo …"
Fangzheng had planned on finishing his meal first, but from the looks of it, he could not wait any longer. Therefore, Fangzheng carried Squirrel, just like how Zen Master One Finger had carried him years ago. He stood in the kitchen and looked at the azure sky and white roof outside. He asked softly, "Do you know why?"
Squirrel shook his head.
Fangzheng smiled and repeated Zen Master One Finger's words to Squirrel word for word. With that said, Fangzheng stroked Squirrel's head. "This was handed to me by my master. Today, I'm handing it to you."
"Master, I know I was wrong." Squirrel was ultimately not the mischievous King Fangzheng from when he was young. He nodded obediently and admitted his mistake.
Fangzheng smiled in satisfaction. He looked at the distant white clouds and vaguely saw an old monk smiling at him.
After resolving Squirrel's problem, Fangzheng gestured for him to have his meal. Then, he led the way to the dining table. Lone Wolf was always the first to run over, followed by Monkey, Fangzheng, and Red Boy. They were responsible for scooping the rice and holding the bowls.
Instead, it was Salted Fish, who was always eager to eat, who lagged behind. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Squirrel, who had regained his spirit. He chuckled and said, "Little guy, I told you to admit your mistakes early, but you didn't listen. Tsk tsk, here's another sentence for you: You'll suffer if you don't listen to your elders. In the future, you should pay attention to what I, your ancestor, say. "
"But if I admit my mistake before I figure it out, I don't think I'll be able to remember it, right?" Squirrel asked in a daze.
Salted Fish roared with laughter. "That's where you don't understand. As the ancients say, there's nothing better than knowing your mistakes and changing them! There is a lot of knowledge in this sentence. You should understand it well. "
Squirrel had always been a curious baby, so when Salted Fish said that, he ignored the smugness in Salted Fish's words as well as his teasing. He pressed, "What do you mean? If you apologize too easily, won't it become worthless? "
Salted Fish shook his head as he looked at Squirrel, as though he couldn't be taught a lesson. "You still don't understand. As the saying goes, if you know your mistakes, change them. If you can't change them, do it again! "
"What if they do it again?" Squirrel asked.
"Change them again!" Salted Fish said.
Squirrel opened his mouth. "What if they do it again?"
"Change them again!"
…
After a few rounds of questioning, Squirrel was still persistently pressing for an answer. As for Salted Fish, who was teasing Squirrel for fun, he couldn't take it any longer. He hurriedly stopped him. "Little Fatty, stop asking. I'll give you an idiom. Figure it out yourself."
Squirrel stopped asking as he curiously stared at Salted Fish.
Salted Fish looked up into the sky and said in all seriousness, "Thoroughly tempered!"
With that said, Salted Fish secretly shot a glance at Squirrel and saw him in serious thought. He felt rather pleased. He thought to himself, "Hehe, indeed, children from small places are easily fooled. If this were Mount Numinous, I would have long been beaten up … "
At that moment, Fangzheng shouted. "Jingkuan, it's time to eat."
When Squirrel heard Fangzheng shout for him, he immediately sped up and ran over. He jumped onto the table, picked a plate, and sat there to eat. However, the little guy had clearly been fooled. As he ate, he thought hard, mumbling. "Repent, repent, repent, repent, repent, repent …"
Finally, Red Boy couldn't take it any further. He said, "Stop chanting. That old fellow is spouting nonsense. If you really do as he says, you will end up like him, unrepentant and a salted fish. "
At that moment, a smug Salted Fish walked over and scoffed. "So what if I'm a salted fish? I'm proud to be a salted fish! Other fish can't even become a salted fish spirit if they wish to. "
With that said, Salted Fish looked down. His smugness instantly vanished as his face turned livid.
At the dining table, Fangzheng was eating with a huge bowl. Red Boy was also using a huge bowl. Squirrel and Monkey were using plates, while Lone Wolf was sprawled on the ground using a basin. Only one plate was left with food. When it came to Salted Fish, there was only a pair of chopsticks in front of him. There was nothing else!
Salted Fish widened his eyes and exclaimed. "Reverend, where's my bowl?"
Fangzheng said indifferently, "There are only a few bowls in the monastery. They are all broken. The remaining bowls and plates are all here. This Penniless Monk can't be biased, so this Penniless Monk will use the principle of first come, first served. Since you are late, think of a solution yourself. "
Salted Fish turned anxious when he heard that. Think of a solution himself? What solution could he have? When he saw Lone Wolf and the others devouring the Crystal Rice, he became anxious! He knew these animals too well. If he really waited for them to empty their bowls before eating, they would probably be licking the plates.
With this in mind, Salted Fish gritted his teeth, picked up his chopsticks, and began eating!
Fangzheng didn't stop him as he said indifferently, "Don't waste."
Salted Fish's chopsticks froze when he heard that. As a salted fish, he was ultimately a salted fish. No matter how useful his fins were, they were still lacking. Furthermore, without a bowl, there was a high chance that the food he picked up would fall onto the table. Should he eat such food? If he didn't eat it, it would be a waste, but if he ate it …
With this in mind, Salted Fish looked at the rapidly depleting rice and vegetables. Gritting his teeth, he lay down on the table and opened his mouth wide. He used his mouth as a bowl and began eating!
Upon seeing this scene, everyone was collectively dumbfounded. There was actually such a thing?
Red Boy smacked his lips. "I really want to pry open his fish head to see what's inside …"
Fangzheng pricked up his brows, but he didn't say a word. After all, the lack of bowls was real. It wasn't bad that Salted Fish could think of a solution himself. As for why he didn't think of a way to help Salted Fish resolve the problem, the reason was simple. It was because Fangzheng was very pissed! Fangzheng always believed that unity was the most important, but Salted Fish had always excluded himself from the monastery. It was fine if he didn't console Squirrel when he made a mistake. Although what he said made sense, his original intention wasn't to persuade Squirrel, but to flaunt his prowess as an ancestor. This was the main reason why Fangzheng had left him without a bowl to eat.
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