Chapter 102 The Miraculous Bodhisattva Who Sends Off the Qilin
Gu Yanzheng turned around and gave Lu Ye a look, and Lu Ye, who had been under his command for many years, immediately understood.
Lu Ye has plenty of ways to deal with this kind of old man.
He got out of the car, walked up to the old man, took out his identification, and, despite the pouring rain, asked without blinking, "Do you have a business license?"
Half an hour later, the old man, who had been burned by the exorbitant accommodation fees, pushed open the door of his self-built house and coldly pointed to the two cement bungalows on the side, saying, "Make yourself at home."
Shen Zhenzhu and Xiaobai ran into the room, clutching their heads. Looking at the simple surroundings, they remained speechless for a long time.
"This is ridiculous! If Brother Ye hadn't gone down and scared him, he would have actually won it." Xiao Bai walked to the washstand, saw a basin of murky water, and shuddered in disgust.
A damp, bluish tinge spread upwards from the corner of the wall. Inside the room, besides the washstand, there were two tattered little beds and a folding table placed against the wall.
Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared. In the middle of the small courtyard was a murky well, splashing water with raindrops the size of soybeans.
"Fifty isn't cheap, but there's nothing we can do about it." Shen Zhenzhu stood under the eaves looking at the neighbor's house, and Gu Yanzheng quickly appeared at the door.
"What's wrong?" Gu Yanzheng asked.
Chen Zhenzhu asked, "Do you have water where you are?"
She got caught in the rain and wanted to wash her hair, afraid of getting lice.
Gu Yanzheng glanced into the room and said, "I'll deliver it over later."
Shen Zhenzhu obediently went inside, and she and Xiaobai set up a table to drink mineral water and eat butterfly pastries.
About ten minutes later, Gu Yanzheng returned carrying two thermos flasks.
"Don't drink it," he specifically reminded me. "The well water is murky. I boiled water from a vat, so I don't know if it's clean or not."
Xiao Bai ran over, picked up the heavy thermos, and said, "Thank you, Captain Gu. We're changing our clothes now."
Gu Yanzheng helped close the door, and said before leaving, "Don't cover yourself with the blanket, just use your own clothes."
"Got it." Xiaobai stuck out her toe and nudged the door, and the wooden door slammed shut.
"..." Gu Yanzheng almost rubbed his nose.
Fortunately, Cheng Yaojin returned to Shenyang for his internship after only two days of playing. If he had stayed in Liancheng, he would have faced countless difficulties.
Chen Zhenzhu rinsed the basin with freshly boiled water and wiped it inside and out four or five times. She and Xiaobai washed their hair and then wiped themselves with handkerchiefs, feeling much more refreshed.
"Shall we push our beds together and sleep together?" Shen Zhenzhu thought about how she always slept like this with Shen Yuyuan, and how she missed her family after not going home for a long time.
"Okay." After washing her handkerchief, Xiaobai joined Chen Zhenzhu in sharing a bed.
"So humid." Shen Zhenzhu picked up the bedding from the bed, piled it on the chair, and said, unable to bear looking at it, "This is the first time I've encountered such difficult conditions."
Xiao Bai simply wiped the bed board from top to bottom and said, "Let's just make do with this. Luckily it's warm now, it would be even worse in winter."
Shen Zhenzhu rolled up her outer garment to use as a pillow, lay on the bed fully clothed, and talked with Xiaobai for a while.
She was so tired that she fell asleep while talking.
Thunder rumbled outside the window again, making Xiaobai restless as he stared wide-eyed at the dark ceiling.
With flashes of lightning, she couldn't help but look out the window. To her horror, she saw a person standing outside the window!
"Ah—!" Xiao Bai exclaimed in surprise. Not only did Chen Zhenzhu wake up, but Gu Yanzheng next door also shouted, "What happened?!"
Xiao Bai grabbed Chen Zhenzhu's shoulder and pointed to the motionless figure outside the window, saying, "Someone is watching us from there."
Caught off guard, Chen Zhenzhu was startled by the figure outside the window. She quickly realized what was happening and, ignoring the rain outside, rushed to the window and flung it open, shouting, "Don't run!"
She leaped down, holding a small silver knife, and quickly disappeared from Xiaobai's sight.
Xiao Bai was about to rush out when, almost instantly, Gu Yanzheng's voice followed Chen Zhenzhu's voice from outside the window: "You stay here!"
There were probably other guests in the self-built house. He pushed open the window and roared, "What are you doing instead of sleeping! Can't you keep your voice down! Don't you have any manners?!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Xiao Bai heard Buddhist music coming from their room, along with the scent of sandalwood.
So there were other suckers out there.
The old man didn't seem to live here; he took the accommodation fee, gave the key, said a few words, and left.
The pilgrims' rooms were noisy, but they didn't come over to argue because of the rain.
Lu Ye chased after Gu Yanzheng, Gu Yanzheng chased after Shen Zhenzhu, and Shen Zhenzhu chased after Hei Yingzi.
Zhao Qiqi was a little late going to the toilet and missed them, so she went to Xiaobai's room, opened the door and waited for them to come back.
Xiao Bai glanced at his watch; it was already four in the morning. It wouldn't be long before dawn broke.
"Little White!" Shen Zhenzhu called from outside the door, "Open the door."
Xiao Bai quickly ran over, opened the door, took two steps back, and asked, "Who is she?"
Shen Zhenzhu came in with a young girl clinging to her arm. The young girl was waving her arms and legs and making a fuss, calling out, "Sister, sister!"
Gu Yanzheng and Lu Ye followed behind them, and the group was soaked to the bone again.
"You all go out first, I'll help her change her clothes," Chen Zhenzhu said, holding the young girl's wrist tightly.
Gu Yanzheng said, "Be careful." He had almost been bitten just now.
"good."
Xiao Bai closed the door and turned around to see the young girl clinging to Chen Zhenzhu, crying, "Sister, sister!! Don't go!"
"I won't leave, I'm here." Chen Zhenzhu wiped her face with a handkerchief and tried to take off her clothes to change her clothes, but she clung tightly to the clothes and said, "No! Don't take off my clothes! Sister, save me, sister, save me!"
Seeing her baring her teeth and claws as she tried to pounce on Chen Zhenzhu, Xiaobai quickly grabbed her other arm and said, "What are you doing? Sit down properly!"
“She’s a bit disoriented. She must have followed our car from the alley.” Chen Zhenzhu noticed a silver safety lock around the young girl’s neck. She lifted it up and saw the word “Peace” on the front and “Qiaoqiao” on the back.
"Your name is Qiaoqiao, right?" Chen Zhenzhu wiped her face clean and found that the other person didn't look very old, only in her early twenties.
She examined Qiaoqiao's skin and nails. Although she had been wandering outside for a while, it shouldn't have been long, as her skin and nails didn't show any signs of malnutrition.
"Sister, sob, sister." Hearing Chen Zhenzhu call her name, Qiaoqiao burst into tears: "Sister, I searched so hard for you."
"Did your family not keep an eye on you and you ran out without them noticing?" Xiao Bai saw Chen Zhenzhu pull out an ugly dress and helped Qiaoqiao put it on. "Why don't you ask the local police station?"
Looking out at the misty rain outside the window, Chen Zhenzhu buttoned up Qiaoqiao's clothes and said, "Let's wait for the rain to stop."
In the early hours of the morning, Gu Yanzheng somehow managed to get two buckets of instant noodles and brought them over. Chen Zhenzhu and Xiaobai slurped them down, and then fed some to Qiaoqiao.
The three of them didn't get up until after 10 a.m. the next day. The rain had subsided and cleared up again around noon.
"Ah, sister! Sister! I need to find my sister!" Qiaoqiao opened her eyes but couldn't see Chen Zhenzhu. She accidentally rolled off the bed and scrambled toward the door, crying, "I need to find my sister, sister!"
Chen Zhenzhu was haggling with the old man in the yard over the price of corn when she quickly called out, "Qiao'er, I'm here!"
Qiaoqiao had her hair styled in the trendy "sister" hairstyle popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan. She had been cleaned up by Chen Zhenzhu and was a pretty girl with fair skin and a few freckles.
She ran over and hugged Chen Zhenzhu tightly, glaring at the old man with hostility.
Xiao Bai muttered jealously, "When did Pearl become your older sister?"
The old man stared for a while before recognizing him: "Hey, isn't this the lunatic who's been causing trouble all over the county lately? How did you end up at my place? Let me tell you, one more person means one more person to sleep in, so I'm raising the price."
With one arm around Qiaoqiao and the other on her hip, Chen Zhenzhu said, "You can raise the price however you want, we're not staying here anymore."
The old man laughed heartily, pointing to the clouds on the horizon that were gradually turning from white to black, and said, "You're new here and don't know, this rain isn't going to stop anytime soon. If the rain doesn't stop, you can't leave either. If you can't leave, then give me more money!"
"Come here." Lu Ye returned from outside, beckoned to the old man, and said, "I gave you the money. Come here and let's talk."
Seeing his burly and imposing appearance, the old man was frightened. Shrinking his shoulders, he smiled sheepishly and said, "I was just joking with them. Want some boiled corn? Five yuan a piece, it's very sweet."
Little White sat on the bench by the door, smelling the precious corn and saying foolishly, "Hmm, it smells delicious."
"Give us a few, and do you have any steamed buns? Five steamed buns, please." The family across the cement bungalow pushed open their door.
The woman walking ahead took out her wallet, didn't haggle over a penny, stuffed it into the old man's hand, and then said to the pregnant woman, "Here, my darling, this biggest one is for you."
A middle-aged man in the room called out, "Come back for some fresh air and drink some milk. I've made it for you. You'd better fatten up my grandson."
"Hey, Father-in-law, I'm here." The pregnant woman took a bite of corn and slowly went into the room.
Shen Zhenzhu realized that it was a couple who had brought their daughter-in-law out. Judging from their attitude towards their daughter-in-law, anyone who didn't know better would think they were their own daughter.
Opening the ventilation door, a waft of sandalwood incense wafted out. Inside, a radio continued playing Buddhist music, which brought Chen Zhenzhu a sense of tranquility.
Looking around at the old man's self-built house, it seemed that the old cement house where Shen Zhenzhu and her family stayed last night was the old cement house, while the pregnant woman's family who had moved in earlier were living in a newly built cement house this year. The conditions inside the house were much better than theirs.
"Don't be fooled by their nice living conditions. They're much more generous than you bunch of kids. Their families run big businesses; they have more money between their fingers than you guys have combined." The old man was short and stocky; even Chen Zhenzhu could look down at his bald patch. His triangular eyes were narrowed to slits, making him look like a groundhog with its eyes glued to money.
"Other people's money has nothing to do with me, and I'm not interested in it." Chen Zhenzhu touched Qiaoqiao's forehead and said, "Do you have any fever reducer?"
The old man opened his mouth and said, "Fifty."
Xiao Bai angrily retorted, "You're robbing me!"
The old man smiled and said, "Do I need to rob them? This business is just delivered to my door. Since you're going to give money to the temple anyway, you might as well give me some first. Sincerity is key."
A pregnant woman standing at the door drinking milk came over, supporting her five- or six-month pregnant belly, and said, "Sister, I have fever reducers here, don't waste your money."
The old man glared at her, then glanced at her stomach, snorted coldly, and walked away.
The pregnant woman felt uncomfortable under his gaze, so she covered her stomach and slowly walked back to her room. After a short while, she came out with some pills and handed them to Chen Zhenzhu.
"Thank you, two pieces should be enough." Just as Chen Zhenzhu was about to leave, someone else came in through the door.
"Excuse me, is the Songlin Bodhisattva Temple on this mountain?" A young couple stood outside the door; the husband was carrying a travel bag, and the woman was carrying a backpack.
The two seemed to have just had a fight. The woman angrily ignored her husband's offer of help and insisted on carrying her own schoolbag: "How can a hen that doesn't lay eggs have the nerve to ask your only son in the Wang family for help?"
Wang Kuan sighed and didn't argue with his wife, Zhang Yiming.
"Are you also pilgrims?" The old man didn't let them in. Instead, he looked them up and down before slowly saying, "You probably won't be able to get a son like this."
Shen Zhenzhu was at the door urging Qiaoqiao to take her medicine, planning to go to the police station after she finished. Hearing the old man's words, she couldn't help but frown.
Just now it was about the chubby grandson, now it's about begging for a son.
Is the Guanyin in the temple truly a goddess who grants children? Or perhaps a Guanyin who favors sons over daughters?
Wang Kuan said somewhat embarrassedly, "It's not that we specifically want a son, it's just that my mother wants to hold her grandson. We came all this way here, so we can pay our respects and go back to give her an explanation."
Zhang Yiming angrily said, "It was her mother who forced us to come here with a kitchen knife! I wish I could never have children so I could go back and fight that old hag again. This time, it's a fight to the death! She has the nerve to come to my house and say I can't lay eggs, so I have the nerve to stand on your roof and jump off!"
Shen Zhenzhu couldn't help but say, "Comrade, please don't get agitated. Having children is a scientific matter, and both men and women share the responsibility."
Wang Kuan glanced at Chen Zhenzhu, stepped forward, took his wife's hand, and said, "I'm the only son in three generations. If I can't have another child, won't my lineage end? My mother didn't complain that you can't have children. That's why she gave you money to come on this trip."
"Pah! If you want a child, just say so. Why are you talking about traveling?" Zhang Yiming pointed at Wang Kuan's nose and said, "You know your own character. What makes you think I can't have children?"
Wang Kuan gently persuaded, "After you give birth, you'll be the hero of our family. My mom said she'll give you a gold ring as a reward."
"Ha, who cares?" Zhang Yiming sneered. "Just because I can't have a son doesn't mean I'm breaking the law. Having a son makes me a hero? Bah!"
Shen Zhenzhu gritted her teeth in anger. Whose belly is it? It's their decision! Getting married is like giving your belly to your in-laws. Marriage is a matter of mutual affection, not a transaction involving a baby.
The old man interrupted them, saying, "The Temple of the Bodhisattva of Sending the Unicorn is not so easy to enter. If you don't believe in superstitions, then stay here. The mountain road is difficult to travel recently. We'll go up the mountain when the weather clears up."
Wang Kuan quickly took out his wallet and asked, "How much per night?"
The old man glanced at Chen Zhenzhu and the others, then lowered his voice and said, "Thirty."
Shen Zhenzhu, with her sharp ears and keen eyesight, heard it immediately and was amused by the old man's words.
Gu Yanzheng called back, walked over to Chen Zhenzhu with his mobile phone, and glanced at Qiaoqiao.
As soon as Qiaoqiao saw him, she started struggling and crying, "Sister, save me! Save me!"
She suddenly screamed, startling Zhang Yiming and Wang Kuan.
Shen Zhenzhu quickly waved her hand: "Brother Zheng, stay away, she's a little afraid of men."
Gu Yanzheng stood by the well in the middle of the yard and said, "I just called the police station, but they don't have any information about her. There haven't been any missing persons reports in the county recently. If you want to find out her identity, you have to go to the city bureau."
"She had a fever and just took fever reducer. When are we leaving?" Shen Zhenzhu asked.
Gu Yanzheng glanced at the sky and said helplessly, "There will probably be thunderstorms today. The highway entrance is closed. Let's see what happens tomorrow."
After Qiaoqiao took fever-reducing medicine, Chen Zhenzhu took her to her room and coaxed her to sleep.
Wang Kuan and Zhang Yiming moved into the room next to the pregnant woman's family, going in and out washing rags and tidying up the room.
Zhang Yiming went in and never came out again; he probably exhausted himself arguing and cursing along the way.
Chen Zhenzhu took a moment to tiptoe out and walked to the well. Seeing Gu Yanzheng still standing there looking into the well, she asked, "What's wrong?"
Gu Yanzheng rolled up the rope, lifted a bucket of well water, and said to Chen Zhenzhu, "Come and smell it. I always feel that the well water tastes wrong."
Chen Zhenzhu squatted down by the bucket and fanned it, saying, "There's a slight stench. Did a rat die in there?"
She and Gu Yanzheng exchanged a glance, and the two of them looked around the well, but they didn't find any rotting animals or anything else that shouldn't be there.
The old man who was boiling water in the kitchen came out and saw the two of them wandering around the well. He pointed to a cluster of blue-roofed factory buildings to the west and said, "Don't make wild guesses. It's all because of a chemical plant built in the next county that polluted our groundwater. Every household in our county has a well, and none of them can use this well. They've already gone to the city to sue them."
Shen Zhenzhu asked him, "Where does the groundwater come from?"
Lu Ye came out of the house after catching up on his nap and continued, "Groundwater, groundwater, of course it comes from underground."
The old man stamped his foot: "Nonsense! The groundwater in Wuxian County all comes from mountain springs. The mountain spring water has been blessed by the Bodhisattva Songlin. Drinking the water here will also bring you the Bodhisattva's blessing!"
Gu Yanzheng said, "Since it's spring water from the mountain, how is it related to industrial pollution in the neighboring county?"
The old man was immediately stumped by the question, but he stubbornly said, "Anyway, it was those bastards from the next county who ruined our Bodhisattva water. They ruined the Bodhisattva water, and that's why it's been raining here all the time."
Shen Zhenzhu shook her head helplessly. It seemed that the old man was also a devout follower of the Bodhisattva who sent the Qilin.
Thinking about it more carefully, he said they called the well water "Bodhisattva Water," which might mean that the entire population of Wuxian County were believers of the Bodhisattva who sent the Qilin.
Regardless of whether it's truly effective or not, the Bodhisattva Temple alone has boosted the GDP of Wuxian County by a significant amount.
The sun, which had only briefly appeared, was again obscured by dark clouds. The pregnant woman came out to collect the towels. Zhang Yiming, who had also finished resting, greeted the pregnant woman: "Hello, are you going to the Songlin Bodhisattva Temple to fulfill your vow?"
Fortunately, Wang Kuan wasn't around, and Zhang Yiming's fighting spirit plummeted. He's a well-mannered and reasonable comrade.
The pregnant woman touched her belly, but before she could speak, her mother-in-law behind her said excitedly, "Of course we went to fulfill our vow! She just came home from there a month ago and they said she was pregnant! Oh my, the Bodhisattva who sent off the unicorn is truly miraculous! She's almost six months along now, the pregnancy is stable, and the baby isn't crying. Amitabha, thank you Bodhisattva who sent off the unicorn for your blessings!"
Zhang Yiming said he wasn't in a hurry to have children, but at that moment he looked at the pregnant woman with envy and said, "We've been married for four years and there's still no sign of a baby. I've had all the necessary tests done, but my mother-in-law is pressuring us so much that we're just trying anything."
“Then you’ve come to the right place.” When talking about the Bodhisattva of Sending Off the Unicorn, the old woman talked on and on about the Bodhisattva’s preferences and the rules for offering incense, her gold bracelet jingling as it jingled.
Upon hearing this, Wang Kuan came out of his room and took out a notebook to take notes.
Zhang Yiming glanced down at his stomach every now and then and sighed, "Sigh, if this doesn't work, I'll really have to jump off a building."
The pregnant woman, who hadn't spoken for a while, had a pair of conspicuous gold bracelets on her wrists, a reward from her mother-in-law after she became pregnant.
She said gently to Zhang Yiming, "Why punish yourself for others? Think positively and everything will be alright."
Someone comforted Zhang Yiming, and Shen Zhenzhu continued to observe the well.
After the sky darkened, the stench seemed to intensify deeper inside, with gusts of wind carrying the putrid smell, making her involuntarily pinch her nose.
Gu Yanzheng's expression was also not good, and he said in a low voice, "It's still not right."
Chen Zhenzhu nodded: "Take the sample back for testing."
"Okay." Gu Yanzheng turned around, went into the room, took an empty mineral water bottle, and filled it with murky well water.
The once sweet well water has turned into this state; no wonder the people of Wuxian County are arguing with the neighboring county—they always need someone to blame.
Chen Zhenzhu took the mineral water bottle, intending to take it back to see if the pungent smell of chemicals really meant there was something in it that shouldn't be there.
Seeing their actions, the old man rummaged through the nearly moldy dried sweet potatoes under the eaves: "I used to charge you for drinking my well water, but now I'll give it to you for free. It's all the neighbors' envy; they see that the Bodhisattva of Sending Off the Unicorn has made us rich, so they're deliberately messing with us."
Chen Zhenzhu, carrying a bottle of mineral water, asked, "Is the Songlin Bodhisattva Temple always very efficacious?"
The old man spread out some dried sweet potatoes and said, "Want some? I'll give you all ten yuan."
Shen Zhenzhu was amused and changed her question: "Old lady, why are you so short of money? Tell me about it."
The old man, with a stern face, chose to answer the previous question: "In our Wuxian County, there are five deities. Four of the temples dedicated to these five deities were destroyed a few years ago, leaving only the Temple of the Bodhisattva Songlin. Originally, there weren't so many people coming to burn incense; it was mostly people from the county town who would go there occasionally. The year before last, a wealthy businesswoman from the port city prayed here and then became pregnant with twin sons. She was already forty-five years old when she gave birth safely. At the beginning of last year, she brought them here to fulfill her vow. The word spread quickly, and many people said that after praying here, they gave birth after returning home."
Shen Zhenzhu thought to herself, "This is what they call the celebrity effect."
It might not be very effective, otherwise it would have become famous long ago instead of waiting until last year.
Perhaps it was something that was already meant to be, and coming here is considered an act of merit for the Bodhisattva. Those who have prayed but don't yet have children might not necessarily shout that the Bodhisattva is ineffective.
Before Chen Zhenzhu could ask any more questions, Gu Yanzheng strode out with his mobile phone, followed by Lu Ye and the others.
Gu Yanzheng waved to Shen Zhenzhu, who jogged to catch up. Gu Yanzheng said, "The Municipal Bureau said there was a murder here and asked me to go and take a look."
Chen Zhenzhu said, "I'll go too."
Gu Yanzheng instructed Zhao Qiqi, "You and Xiaobai wait here."
Xiao Bai couldn't handle Qiao Qiao by himself, so Zhao Qiqi said dejectedly, "Alright then."
Before they could finish speaking, Chen Zhenzhu had already put on her sneakers and jumped into the passenger seat: "What's going on?"
Gu Yanzheng started the Cherokee and said, "The person who reported the case found a headless female corpse at the entrance of a karst cave in the southern part of Qilin Mountain. We'll have to go there to see the details. Director Liu assigned the case directly to us."
"Okay." Chen Zhenzhu fastened her seatbelt, glanced at the overcast sky, and knew a storm was brewing.
"Humph, even the rain can't stop them from kneeling and kowtowing three times and nine times." The Cherokee was heading towards Qilin Mountain when it saw groups of pilgrims kowtowing three times as they went up the mountain.
To demonstrate their piety, they braved wind and rain.
He was truly eager to have a child.
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Author's note: See you tomorrow, there's a red envelope coming! [Let me see!]
***
Just a heads-up:
This case involves ethical and moral issues.
I can't say too much to avoid spoilers.
Also, this case is fictional and does not represent any specific event, person, or belief; everything serves the plot. (Wishing couples who want a child a successful pregnancy [please], and wishing couples who want to continue enjoying their life together a happy and harmonious life [please], and please respect religious beliefs and do not take it personally [please], I'm trying to avoid any negative connotations.)
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