Chapter 71
There are dark human figures swaying in the distance, especially in this dark place, the dim light makes the figures appear even more shadowy.
The people who come here deliberately cover up their bodies and wear a variety of long gowns and jackets. You can even see a few of the cosplays that have become popular in recent years, so it is not surprising to encounter all kinds of monsters.
Perhaps in pursuit of the handed-down tradition, various snacks are placed all the way not far from the entrance. Unlike the brightly lit night market, the snack stalls here use candles.
Liu Jiayu reluctantly took the candied haws from his father's hand. He actually didn't like eating this kind of sour and sweet thing, but his father liked it, and he felt embarrassed to eat it alone, so he always used his father as an excuse.
It would be fine if he just used him as an excuse, but Dad always liked to share the same string with his father. After they finished eating, they would take the one from his hand, saying that children shouldn't eat too many snacks, so just taste it, and then of course they had to eat his string.
If you continue walking in, you will see many people selling things. Some of them walk around with their things covered, occasionally lifting a corner for others to see.
Some people just find a place to spread a piece of cloth and put the things they want to sell on it. Some people don’t put anything to sell in front of them, but write some words on the cloth or cardboard, put it in front of them and shine a flashlight on it, for fear that others can’t see the words.
The environment was both unfamiliar and somewhat novel. Liu Jiayu, sitting in his father's arms, was not afraid at all. He looked around at everything openly, a world he had never seen before.
Soon he was attracted to a place. There was no way he could get there because it was brighter than other places. The head that reflected light even in the middle of the night clearly proved his identity. It was a stall set up by a monk, but it could not hide his identity.
Many people walked past his stall, but few stopped to look. After all, the place where the monks were was the brightest, so it was natural for people to take a few more glances at it. Among the crowds of people from other places, some might deliberately avoid the place where the monks were setting up their stalls, so it seemed even brighter.
There was a bright yellow cloth spread in front of him, with not many things on it, just a Buddhist string, a wooden fish, an alms bowl, a small incense burner, and a few handwritten Buddhist scriptures.
Their original plan was to have fun all night, so they were not in a hurry. They held Liu Jiayu and slowly visited each of the small stalls.
At the monk's stall, the first thing that caught Liu Jiayu's attention was a wooden fish carved into a small frog. It was the size of a palm, smooth and round, and looked like a small stone that was round and plump when angry.
At the same time, it also made him notice other things on the stall. Since he has been learning to read recently, he was interested in the book with words on the stall.
There was also a middle-aged man wearing glasses at the stall who seemed to be interested in the book. No matter how the monk tried to persuade him, he ignored him and could only stand by and stare blankly.
There were some things on the monk's stall, but not many. They were all quite old. Even the handwritten Buddhist stories were well preserved, with the edges of the pages yellowed. Liu Jiayu could see that there were some differences between these objects, but when he looked closely, he couldn't see any difference.
These things have been imbued with the aura of Buddha over the years. They are not rare, but the Buddha's light makes them appear more ancient and rounded.
Seeing that Liu Jiayu really wanted it, Liu Ze asked Yan Shiliu to put the child down: "Jiayu can choose whatever she wants."
"I want to take a look at this wooden fish and this book." Liu Jiayu didn't touch them, but just pointed with her finger.
Although the monk behind the stall has a bald head, wears a monk's robe, and has a face full of flesh, he can still scare children to tears, which is also a major reason why most people avoid him.
He thought the child in front of him would be scared, but the child was not afraid at all. He squatted not far from him and seemed to like the things on the stall very much.
"Little friend, the things here can only be exchanged and not sold." The monk said with a chuckle, and the fat on his face was even more frightening, full of banditry.
"Then what do you want to exchange for it?" Liu Jiayu was not afraid at all. The aura emanating from this man was gentler than the things on the stall.
"What you want to exchange is a book of Buddhist scriptures. If you tell me a Buddhist story, I will give you this book in exchange. Adults cannot make substitutions." The big monk perked up, picked up the thin booklet, and clapped it in his hands. He did it casually, not at all distressed about the old book.
The uncle who wanted to exchange the book earlier was heartbroken and said quickly, "Monk, please be gentle. The old thing can't stand your rough treatment."
The condition proposed by the abbot is a bit embarrassing. Adults may not even know a few Buddhist stories, let alone children. It is obvious that he does not want to change.
Liu Jiayu pondered for a while and actually thought of a story. When he started learning to read, his master often told him stories when teaching him to recognize words. When telling him what Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism were, he once told him a Buddhist story to illustrate what Buddha was.
Liu Jiayu was too young to say much else, but her memory was truly excellent. At this moment, a tender child's voice rang out: "When the Merciful Buddha passed by the Red Dust River, he asked Ah Si on the bank, 'Can you cross the Red Dust River?'"
The big monk stopped patting the book in his hand, opened his squinted eyes a little, looked at the three-headed little boy in front of him and told him that this was a Buddhist story he had never heard of.
"A-Si said that the river was turbulent and the Buddha himself could not survive, so he could not cross it.
Buddha said that the world of mortals can be transcended.
The Buddha sank into the river and remains in the river, transforming his heart of Tao into various river lotuses.
Si waded through water and became a Buddha." Liu Jiayu stood straight with her small body and told the story she knew in a clear voice.
Of course, Rong Zhou couldn't teach his children exactly as written in the book. A short story could help the children understand better.
The big monk's face, covered with flesh, turned serious. After listening to the child's story, he asked, "Can we escape from this mortal world?"
The child answered seriously: "Yes, it can be crossed." This person was very strange because the story said that it can be crossed.
The monk asked again, "Can I be saved?"
"Can be crossed." The master said that Asi refers to all living things, including humans, animals, and plants.
The monk didn't ask any more questions and put the yellowed scripture in the child's hand. "Since you told me the story, this book is yours in exchange. Since you answered my two questions, I'll give you this wooden fish."
A smile appeared on Liu Jiayu's immature face. He happily held two things and showed them to the fathers behind him how awesome he was.
After thinking about it again, he handed the thing in his hand to his father: "Dad, I'm thinking about snacks."
Liu Ze felt around in his arms and took out a small lotus pod. It was so small that there were only three lotus seeds on it. This was Liu Jiayu's favorite snack recently. It had a light taste and was cool and smooth in the mouth. He took it from the cabinet in his master's study.
"Uncle monk, you gave me a small wooden fish, so I'll give you my snacks. The lotus pod is just like the one in the story." The lotus pod that Liu Jiayu put into the monk's hand was so small that it could be fully grasped by a child's hand. How big could it be?
The whole thing was as white as a jade carving, but the meridians on it were clearly visible, making it difficult to tell whether it was real or fake. The monk only took one look and knew that it was definitely not an ordinary thing, so he looked up and wanted to return it.
He saw the two adults and one child who had just stood in front of him walking away hand in hand, disappearing into the dark night.
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