Chapter 309 Buddha Blessing
In the north of Fengyuan City, Yunlai Restaurant.
Just as Wei Changtian was wondering what this "Yan Luo" was in the night watchman's office, the atmosphere here was quite lively.
It was dinner time and the hall was almost full. Waiters with long towels draped over their shoulders were walking between the tables, and the shouting and conversation were noisy and chaotic.
However, the guests sitting at the tables facing the windows on the street were very quiet. They just lowered their heads to eat, and even if they occasionally talked, they tried to keep their voices down.
This was not because they were better-educated than others, but entirely because of the two night watchmen who were wearing black official uniforms and had gongs tied to their chests.
"Brother Zhang, how was the girl in Manchunlou last night?"
Ignoring the fearful looks from the diners around him, a gong-beating night watchman asked with a smile while drinking wine, "I heard that you came out of the embroidery room within a quarter of an hour after entering it. What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
"Hey, don't mention it."
The officer named Zhang curled his lips, his face full of helplessness: "I didn't even have time to take off my clothes yesterday when the boss called me away."
"Hahaha, you should be glad that you haven't taken off your clothes yet, otherwise it would be even more disappointing to be called away in the middle of doing that thing."
The drunken officer laughed and joked, then asked, "Why, another death?"
"Well, over at Yuhua Lane, he's only three years old."
The officer named Zhang picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and said as he ate, "More than fifty people died yesterday."
"There have never been so many before?"
"Well, this is the first time. On the contrary, everything has been fine at the Princess's Mansion."
"Brother Zhang, why do you think this is happening?"
“Who knows, I hope.”
The officer named Zhang stopped talking suddenly and looked through the open wooden window toward the busy street.
"Brother Zhang, what are you looking at?"
"Uh, I think I saw Bai Youheng."
"Um?"
The officer on the opposite side was stunned and turned his head to look.
“The back looks quite similar.”
He sighed, then turned around and smiled, "But Brother Bai is still fighting in Yuanzhou, so how could it be him?"
"I guess they just happen to look alike."
"Well, I guess I saw it wrong."
The officer named Zhang also stopped dwelling on the matter and turned his gaze back to continue the previous topic.
"I hope this Yama is not too smart like the last two times, otherwise I don't know how many people will die in Fengyuan City."
"well"
The officer on the opposite side nodded: "I hope so."
Daning, Longzhou, Longzhou City.
The country was already extremely poor, and with the war going on in neighboring Wonju, the lives of the people living in this last pure land of Buddhism were getting worse day by day.
The more difficult real life is, the more popular the Fu Lian Temple becomes.
“.”
"Buddha bless you! Buddha bless you!"
"Amitabha, I pray that the Buddha will protect my whole family."
"Please bless me so that I will no longer suffer the pain of reincarnation and will forever enjoy happiness in the Western Paradise. Namo Amitabha."
"My two sons are fighting in Yuanzhou now. Please bless him to return safely."
“.”
The sound of devout prayers filled every Buddhist hall in the Folian Temple, and the green smoke rising into the sky almost formed a cloud of smoke over Lingkai Mountain.
The content of the pilgrims' requests may vary slightly, but they are basically "keeping up with current affairs", either related to the war in Wonju or the recent serial murders in the city.
About three or four days ago, children suddenly started to go missing and die in Longzhou City, with at least three or four cases every day, and even eight cases yesterday.
The murderer's method of killing was not cruel, but the fact that he only targeted children was extremely bad.
The Longzhou government immediately mobilized almost all the detective experts in the city to investigate the case, but after several days, they still found nothing, which instead caused panic among the people in the city.
Life was already so difficult, and now this evil person appeared.
Since the government could not be relied upon, many people had no choice but to seek protection from the Buddha.
I don’t know if it will work, but this is the only thing they can do right now.
"Buddha, it is not easy for us, an orphan and a widow, to depend on each other for survival. Please do not let that evil person harm my son."
"Please bless me, Buddha, please bless me."
A ragged mother and son knelt at the feet of the golden-robed Buddha statue and kowtowed several times before slowly standing up and throwing a few copper coins into the merit box.
Such an action would have been nothing a few months ago, but it is a bit rare now.
After all, the lives of ordinary people are too difficult right now. Except for some wealthy families, the rest of the people can't even afford to eat, so how can they have extra money to offer to the Buddha?
Therefore, most pilgrims would just burn a few sticks of incense and leave. Few people would donate money like this mother and son did.
“Dang~”
The crisp sound of the copper plates colliding was very faint. The woman clasped her hands together and bowed devoutly to the Buddha statue. Then she cast her gaze on the empty bamboo basket in her arms.
The expected change of silver did not appear, but the woman was not too disappointed. She just took the hand of the little boy beside her and left the Fulian Temple, preparing to go down the mountain and go home.
"Mom, I'm hungry."
Walking on the mountain road, the little boy whispered, "Can we have porridge today?"
“.”
Looking at her son's pale face, the woman weighed the pros and cons in her mind, then smiled and nodded.
"Okay, I'll make you some porridge when I get home."
Half an hour later.
Walking back to the small village where she lived, the woman went into the kitchen, scooped out a small bowl of rice bran from the bottom of the well-hidden jar, blocked the chimney, and then said to the little boy who was looking at her eagerly:
"Go fetch some water and if anyone asks you on the way, don't tell them that we want to drink porridge."
"Mom, I understand!"
When the little boy saw that the woman was really going to cook porridge, he was overjoyed. He picked up a bucket and ran out of the yard, heading straight for the only well at the entrance of the village.
He ran as fast as he could, wanting to drink the hot rice porridge as soon as possible.
As for the woman's advice before leaving the house, it was of no use because he didn't meet anyone along the way.
Oh, except for a young man dressed in black.
The man's eyes were so dark that the little boy felt dizzy after just one look at them.
But what he cared more about was the white flour bun in the former's hand.
"Want to eat?"
"Think, think"
"Then eat here."
"Can I take it home and eat it with my mother?"
“.”
"Zhu'er! Zhu'er!!"
After an unknown amount of time, sharp wails suddenly resounded throughout the entire village.
The disheveled woman cried heartbreakingly, but the little boy in her arms could no longer give her any response.
"Zhu'er! Wake up! Look at your mother!"
The woman kept shaking the boy, as if expecting him to suddenly open his eyes at some point.
However, a steamed bun with only one bite taken out of it fell from the boy's arms to the ground, covered with dust and weeds and rolled to the woman's feet.
“.”
"Master, can I take it back and eat it with my mother?"
"Are you willing to do that?"
“Give up, give up.”
“.”
“What a pity.”
(End of this chapter)
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