Chapter 343 Fairy Dream
The child's smile was so bright that the Taoist couldn't help but notice it. His smile grew even brighter. He immediately lowered his hand towards Qian's, touched Manbao's head, and asked with a smile, "Master Qian is here. I haven't seen you for half a year. Little Master Manbao has grown a lot taller, and his complexion looks rosy and healthy."
When Qian heard this, she immediately became happy, "Yes, I brought her up the mountain to fulfill a vow. Not only has her health improved a lot, I feel much better this year too."
Qian said, "Besides that, I came to ask the abbot to interpret a dream."
The Taoist priest glanced at the basket in Qian's hand, thought for a moment, and said, "The abbot of Shouqing Temple is in retreat, so Mr. Qian has to wait a while. Why don't you and the young layman pay your respects to the Taoist master first?"
Of course, Qian had no objection.
She put the basket aside, pulled Manbao to kneel on the cushion, and kowtowed respectfully to the clay sculpture of Taishang Laojun.
Qian was extremely pious, and Manbao was also very pious. She had been worshipping the Lord Tianzun since she was old enough to understand. She worshipped him in the temple, at home, and sometimes even at the entrance of the village.
She worshipped when she was sick, when she couldn't eat, when she couldn't sleep, and even when she had nightmares at night. She was very skilled in worshipping the Lord of Heaven.
Even the wish she made was exactly the same every time. This was the line Qian had designed for her when she was still a baby. Manbao had long been accustomed to it and thought that this was the only wish she could make.
So she bowed with great respect, and said to the Heavenly Master in her heart: "Please, Heavenly Master, bless Manbao with peace, health, and a smooth life."
Manbao kowtowed three times, and seeing that her mother still had her eyes closed, she kowtowed to Lord Tianzun a few more times without hesitation. Only after Qian finished making a wish and kowtowed and stood up did she quickly follow suit and get up.
The Taoist priest stood by and watched with a smile. After the mother and daughter made their wishes, he led them to the backyard.
It is called the backyard, but it is actually where the Taoists live and work. It is in the third courtyard.
The abbot of Shouqing Temple, who was said to be in seclusion, had just carried down two bundles of firewood from the back mountain. He threw the firewood in a corner of the yard, then immediately went back to the house to wash his face, hands and change clothes. When he came out again, he was the abbot of the temple with an immortal look again.
Qian was not surprised and had long been accustomed to it. She took Manbao to sit in the yard and wait.
After putting the cart in place, Zhou Sanlang came in and stood behind his mother, looking around curiously.
Apart from temple fairs, he rarely comes to the Taoist temple.
During the annual temple fair, they would at most burn incense in the first hall and occasionally visit the second hall, but it was impossible for them to visit the backyard of the third hall.
So he is not familiar with this place at all.
The abbot of Shouqing Temple came over with a refreshing air. Qian quickly pulled Manbao to pay his respects to him, then pushed Manbao in front of him and said with a smile, "Master, how is our Manbao's fortune this year?"
The head of Shouqing Temple squinted his eyes and looked at Manbao, then reached out and touched her little hand, and smiled lightly at Qian: "Yes, this child is much stronger than before, Mr. Qian can rest assured."
Qian breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "The abbot once said that the age of seven was a hurdle for Manbao, and that once he got over that, his life would be smooth sailing. I didn't believe it, but today it seems to be true."
The abbot of Shouqing Temple smiled, his mind racing forward, and he was very confused. Did he say such a thing?
This doesn't sound like something he would say. How could he have gotten the age right by seven?
"Today, in addition to asking the Master to take a look at my little girl, I also had a strange dream recently..."
The abbot of Shouqing Monastery was in high spirits. Interpreting dreams was his forte. He smiled and said, "Layman, tell me about it."
"I've had this dream for several nights in a row, starting from the night of Double Ninth Festival..." Qian's fingers trembled as she tugged at the corner of her clothes, a look of reminiscence on her face. "The dream was all white, I don't remember it clearly. It seemed like a god-like being told me that my time was up and asked me to go with him. But not long after, a kind-looking old man came and said that I had raised the fairy and had made great contributions, so he allowed me to live a few more years..."
The abbot of Shouqing Temple looked normal, but his eyes couldn't help but sweep over Qian's fingers, as if he was thinking about something.
Zhou Sanlang's eyes widened, while Manbao sat by and listened with great interest. When his mother finished speaking, he kept asking, "What happened next? What happened next?"
Qian looked down at her with pity, patted her little head and said, "Later, Mother's health has been up and down. Have you forgotten? The other day Mother caught a cold and had a bad cough. She barely even got out of bed. But yesterday, for some reason, she suddenly had a big appetite. She even ate several pancakes, and her coughing stopped."
The abbot of Shouqing Monastery was listening calmly at first, but after hearing this, he couldn't help but take it more seriously and stretched out his hand, saying, "Layman, let me see your hand."
Qian smiled and stretched out her right hand.
The abbot of Shouqing Temple had noticed her nervousness a long time ago. At first, he thought she was lying, but now he was a little uncertain. He reached out and felt Qian's pulse.
Yes, the abbot of Shouqing Temple can take people’s pulses.
As a Taoist priest, how could he not know some medical skills?
The Taoist priests in the Taoist temple and the old doctor at the foot of the mountain are the biggest competitors. What the believers come to the mountain to ask for is nothing more than wealth, health and children.
The former is not difficult for the eloquent Taoist priests. Usually, after a few words, the believers who donated rice, grains and eggs will return satisfied, no matter whether they get good results or bad ones.
The middle one is in the same aspect as the latter, both are about the body.
Since it is about the body, you naturally need to be able to observe, listen, ask and feel, and know some pharmacology.
Taoist priests also often go up the mountain to collect herbs, and sometimes give some herbs to believers.
With so many believers, why was Qian respected as a lay Buddhist by Taoists?
Because she is one of the most devout believers in the surrounding villages, she is pious not only when she goes up the mountain to worship Laojun, but also at the foot of the mountain. Six years ago, she was just like most villagers, only going up the mountain to worship during temple fairs or when her family was really sad.
She became the most devout believer in the Taoist temple six years ago. That year, she brought a handful of copper coins, a basket of rice and eggs to the Taoist temple, praying for Manbao's life.
The prescription that Manbao took medicine at that time was the most suitable prescription that the abbot of Shouqing Temple and the old doctor came up with after adding and subtracting some ingredients from the prescription written by the doctor in the county.
Even the idea of drinking a bowl of egg water every day was thought up by the abbot of Shouqing Temple and the old doctor.
After Manbao successfully lived to be one year old, Qian bought a portrait of Laozi from the Taoist temple and hung it in her room all year round, worshiping it every morning and evening.
Therefore, the abbot of Shouqing Temple was not only familiar with Manbao's pulse, but also with Qian's pulse.
After all, he was the most devout believer in the surrounding villages, so he should be treated with some preferential treatment. Every year, the abbot of Shouqing Temple would take Qian's pulse to check his physical condition.
So he found something wrong as soon as he touched it.
He looked up at Qian in surprise and observed her face carefully. Sure enough, he saw that her complexion under her sallow face was a little better than before.
(End of this chapter)
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