Back at the temple, the abbot saw that several of them were soaked through, and quickly told a young novice to fetch the clothes of his senior brothers for the Song brothers to change into...
Song Chenghou politely declined, saying that their original prison clothes should have dried by now, and they had already caused the abbot a lot of trouble; he couldn't bear to bother him any further...
If we were to accept the monks' robes again, many of them probably wouldn't have changed into their own robes tonight.
Upon hearing this, the abbot stopped insisting, but still felt somewhat guilty for not reminding them of the risk of high tide.
"However, Abbot, every cloud has a silver lining."
Song Chengliang said with a smile that he was strong and had already carried the two buckets of seaweed he was allocated to the abbot to show.
"This is?"
The abbot asked in confusion.
Although the temple is not far from the beach, their daily prayers and chanting continue, except during typhoons...
While repairing the temple, he would go out to help the fishermen, but he rarely went out otherwise.
Therefore, even kelp, the most common seaweed in the ocean, has almost never been seen.
The fishermen and fisherwomen simply couldn't name it or know its effects, but the abbot and monks had never seen it before.
Song Chengliang then explained with a smile, "This is called kelp, it's edible and good for your health..."
If the temple hasn't prepared dinner yet, how about I cook for everyone?
Food is scarce on the island; the abbot and monks usually eat only two meals a day. Yesterday, I saw that the Song brothers were all young people who had traveled a long distance...
Feeling pity, I cooked three meals last night.
The abbot originally wanted to say that they had already eaten their second meal and had even left some for the Song family...
But considering that these young people were at the age where they were still growing, I allowed them to work in the kitchen, only reminding them not to get their hands on oil...
He told Song Chengliang that he only needed to prepare food for the eleven siblings, saying that they had just eaten.
The Song brothers all looked towards the abbot and the young monks...
They settled here, and were even thinner than the Song family, who had traveled a long distance and overcome many dangers, clearly suffering from long-term malnutrition.
Song Chengliang didn't care about anything else, and carried two buckets of seaweed to the back room. Old Six Song Cheng consciously went over to help.
Led by a young novice monk, Song Chengliang arrived at the kitchen, where he learned from his elder brother Wen Shishi's instructions on how to cook seaweed, and then, accompanied by the head chef...
Wash the kelp with spring water, steam it over high heat until cooked, slice it, and then stew it...
Song Chengliang reminded the young novice monk to tell the abbot and his senior brothers that a snack would be served soon...
Song Chengliang was worried that they might be doing evening classes or resting early.
The young novice monk looked at his senior brother who was in charge of cooking, and only after the brother nodded did he smile and run away.
Estimating the number of people, Song Chengliang only used one bucket of kelp, while soaking the other bucket of kelp in spring water and pouring it into the kitchen bucket...
A reminder to the chef: dried kelp can be stored in a cool, shady place. Since we don't have time to dry this kelp, it's best to eat it in the next day or two.
The head chef repeatedly declined, but I had no choice but to accept it.
In the main hall, Song Chenghou consulted the abbot about the location for building the stone house...
The abbot pondered for a moment, then said gently, "The terrain of Yazhou is right in the wind's path..."
Typhoons are frequent, at least once a month. Seeing the fishermen struggling to survive breaks my heart...
Our temple has stood firm because of its stone construction, which makes it very stable...
I approve of your plan to build a stone house. Although it will be difficult, it's better than having it blown down by typhoons every month...
If you can't settle down, how can your mind be at peace?
As for the location, the location you originally planned was ideal—it was nestled in the mountains, sheltered from the wind, and had a water source...
But if you live alone at the foot of Limu Mountain, what if the people from the mountain come down and kidnap you...?
I have a suggestion you might want to consider.
Since you're planning to build a stone house, you should also pay close attention to the impact of typhoons and the issue of drinking water...
"Otherwise, you can build it right next to the temple!"
Upon hearing this, Song Chenghou and Song Chengjian showed surprise, "Abbot..."
The abbot slightly raised his hand and analyzed with them, "The temple has withstood many typhoons over the years and still stands strong, although there will be some damage..."
It is evident that, geographically speaking, the impact of the typhoon can still be mitigated.
Secondly, the temple has existed at the foot of the mountain for many years, which is also the tacit existence of Limushan.
If you build houses here and encounter any problems, I will try to persuade you to do so, because the temple can't accommodate everyone, which is why we built houses next door...
Although the locals may not give me face, we live next door, so it's not like if you were in danger, no one would know...
Upon hearing this, Song Chenghou and his brothers immediately stood up and bowed deeply to the abbot.
This is the first time I've felt the abbot's warmth since arriving yesterday.
The Song brothers felt a lump in their throats. Even though they had grown into grown men, they had been carefully cared for by their parents before the incident at the temple...
Unexpectedly, everything collapsed overnight, leaving them with no one to shelter or care for them, and they witnessed the coldness and warmth of human nature.
Unexpectedly, in Yazhou, the most remote and harsh region on Hainan Island, which the people of Dayin dreaded, they were able to consistently feel warmth...
The fishermen and women were like friendly neighbors...
The abbot is more like an elder in the family, gentle and tolerant, nurturing silently.
The Song brothers exchanged glances. Even though the fourth and sixth brothers weren't present, they had always supported their eldest and second eldest brothers, so they figured the brothers wouldn't have any objections...
From what Song Chenghou could see, and from what he knew, his younger brothers were inclined to accept the abbot's opinion.
Indeed, compared to living alone, becoming an eye-catching target...
Living off a temple offers countless advantages.
But the Song brothers also considered that the Li people living in the mountains might still cause trouble...
But the abbot had already thought of that.
Another important issue is that living near a temple means encroaching on the temple's water resources...
The Song brothers had all tasted the spring water flowing from the back mountain; it was incredibly sweet, many times clearer and cooler than the well water in the capital...
So Song Chenghou frankly expressed his concerns, only to see the abbot smile calmly, "What belongs to the Creator is not something that temples are entitled to enjoy..."
We've enjoyed this advantage for many years. Shouldn't we share it if it helps more people?
Hearing the abbot's sincere and kind words, the Song brothers, for the first time since their exile, genuinely showed peaceful and warm smiles.
They bowed again, expressing their gratitude for the abbot's care and compassion...
The location for building the house was thus decided.
"Dinner's ready!"
From the back room came the voice of the fourth brother, Song Chengliang.
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