This time, the convoy didn't stop until dawn.
Now that they were not far from their destination and were no longer worried about being robbed by the government, the commanding officer ordered the troops to cook and rest for two hours before continuing.
After traveling for more than ten hours without food or water, everyone was exhausted and didn't even have the strength to walk. Some people even collapsed on the ground as soon as they got off the vehicle.
Not far from the official road was a small temple. Song Liyun and her companions had been eating along the way and were in good spirits, except for backaches and leg pains from sitting.
They didn't want to sit down and rest like the others, so when they saw a temple nearby, they went over to take a look and stretch their muscles.
The small temple has only one main hall, which looks like it used to be prosperous. The altar and pillars are very well made.
But now the roof has collapsed, the statues of the gods have been destroyed, and there is no more incense burning.
Song Liyun looked at the clay sculpture on the altar, which was only half intact, and listened to Song Dekui tell the story of the statue in a long and detailed manner.
“Look at the cloth bag at the feet of the Bodhisattva, it’s bulging! Hey! This is the deity who oversees our farming.”
"What kind of deity manages farming? Isn't that all the work of the local earth god?" Hearing Song Dekui tell his story, the other people resting outside the temple were also drawn over.
Seeing that others were also interested, Song Dekui became even more smug and said, "The local earth god is just a minor official, but this deity is a real god who can ascend to heaven, and he is called 'the Cloth Bag Monk'!"
"Tch, I thought he was something special, just a monk!" someone said with disdain.
The emperor of the Great Wu Dynasty was a believer in religion, and his elder sister, the Grand Princess, even practiced Buddhism in the palace while keeping her hair intact.
To cater to the emperor's wishes, there were at least 800 to 3000 large temples across the country, not to mention countless unlicensed temples.
There are many temples and many gods, each with its own origin and origin.
Even their functions are different: they govern the heavens and the earth, life and death, marriage and childbirth, each with its own duties, making it quite lively.
Song Dekui was immediately annoyed to see that his extensive writings were being looked down upon.
He knew that saying a deity was in charge of the land was a bit rustic, and that everyone preferred talking about wealth.
So he shouted, "What do you know? This cloth bag of the Cloth Bag Monk is a magic tool, a lucky bag. You can put anything in it, even a thousand gold coins can fit in. Just touch it and good fortune will come naturally."
Sure enough, the mention of fortune immediately piqued the curiosity of the group.
Song Dekui then recounted the story of the "Cloth Bag Monk".
The Laughing Buddha is one of the millions of incarnations of Maitreya Buddha in legend. He usually travels around with a staff and a cloth bag on his shoulder, enlightening people with Zen wisdom.
He is charitable, possesses exceptional skills, fights against violence and brings peace to all beings, and helps them to be free from suffering and attain happiness.
The Laughing Buddha came from a farming family, so planting rice was his forte, and he even wrote poems about it.
Planting blessings by pinching green seedlings, looking down reveals the sky reflected in the water; only when the six senses are purified can rice grow; retreating is actually moving forward.
Therefore, it's not just merchants who pray for wealth; even in remote farms, people build temples to pray for favorable weather and abundant harvests.
Song Dekui had been hanging around the town for many years and was quite eloquent. By the time he finished telling the story with great intonation, dozens of people had gathered in the dilapidated temple, and even the escorting soldiers were peeking out to listen.
Song Zhenping and Xiao An listened intently, looking at the dilapidated clay statue with awe.
Song Liyun was also looking at the clay statue, her eyes sparkling: Could this monk also be a space ability user? Then there would be a way to solve her secret.
Having been in Wu Dynasty for two days, she had already noticed that there were no mutated plants or animals here, and the people here did not have any supernatural abilities.
One's own storage space is not considered special in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Moving here would make you an outcast, and you'd definitely not end up well.
It would be best to have a plausible cover-up.
This clay statue has now given her an opportunity.
Upon hearing of the "Laughing Buddha's" great abilities, especially his treasure bag that could hold gold and silver, the crowd began to kneel and pray devoutly.
Dozens of people crowded into the small, dilapidated temple.
Some pray for abundant wealth, others for bountiful harvests, still others for their children's marriage prospects, and still others for good health—a wide variety of requests are available.
Prayers rose and fell, and the dilapidated temple was transformed into a bustling temple fair.
Song Liyun squeezed through the chaotic crowd to the clay statue, walked around the altar in front of everyone, and then returned to Song Zhenping and his brother.
Her movements were strange, and the two brothers' eyes remained fixed on her, now staring intently at her hands.
They saw that Song Liyun "seemed" to have picked up something under the altar earlier; it was white and shiny, and very beautiful.
Song Liyun stepped aside, blocking everyone's view, then winked at the two of them and shook her head to signal them to be quiet before revealing a corner of the silver-white nano-protective suit fabric in her hand.
Song Zhenping touched it, then asked hesitantly, "What is this?"
Song Liyun quickly stuffed the palm-sized piece of cloth into her sleeve, and said with a puzzled look, "I don't know! It's such a smooth piece of cloth, have you ever seen it before? Although it's a bit small, it can be used to mend clothes in the future."
Song Zhenping shook his head: His world consisted only of Xiaoshi Village, and the only fabric he had ever seen was the silk that Shui Rong had worn, which was far less smooth than this. It would be a waste to pick it up and use it to mend clothes.
Xiao An remained silent, his gaze shifting between Song Liyun's sleeve and the clay statue of "Cloth Bag Monk," his expression thoughtful.
Before Song Zhenping could ask any more questions, the cook was already banging on the edge of the pot outside and shouting, "Dinner's ready! Dinner's ready!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the dilapidated temple fell silent. Those who had been kowtowing vigorously just moments before seemed to be nailed to the spot, and in the blink of an eye, they abandoned all thoughts of gods and rushed straight to the stove outside.
Song Zhenping held Xiao An tightly as they stood against the wall to avoid being trampled.
Song Dekui spat out a mouthful of dust and cursed, "A starving ghost reincarnated."
He was cursing so loudly that he was completely unaware that he had been eating energy bars the whole way, while the other person had gone without food for several meals.
At this moment, Song Liyun was in a great mood.
She patted the dust off her clothes, then looked at the few straw sandals scattered around her, and couldn't help but smile: "Nothing is more important than eating."
It's better to rely on yourself than on God.
No matter how devoutly you worship Buddha, nothing beats the satisfaction of grabbing food with your own hands.
After everyone had taken their bowls to drink the porridge, Song Dekui took a small bowl of clear porridge from the cook and said to the three siblings, "There's only half a bowl left. Who wants some porridge?"
They all stood far apart while scrambling for food, and by the time everyone had eaten, there was only half a bowl of porridge left in the pot.
Song Liyun and Song Zhenping both looked at Xiao An, who was the youngest here and it was his turn to eat.
Xiao An touched his stomach, looked at the half-bowl of porridge, and shook his head for the first time ever: he wasn't hungry.
When the laborers, having filled their stomachs, set off again, and after half a day stood before a boundary marker inscribed with "Shattered Gold Town," all their exhaustion turned into fear.
Some people yelled and turned to run away, while others retreated a great distance with fear on their faces, as if the stone tablet were some kind of ominous object.
Although the laborers complained about being far from home and working in the dead of winter, they generally accepted it reluctantly because they could earn money.
But here, they were truly resisting; some women even cried loudly, disregarding their dignity.
"We agreed to repair the border wall, so why did we come to Broken Gold Town? How could we come here?" Song Dekui murmured, his voice trembling.
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