Chapter 7 "He just happens to be the male in-law, and he can also..."
Bao'e was not intimidated. Instead, she stepped closer and said, "I am not some evil demon. Don't slander me. I am the most compassionate person in the world. I am just borrowing firewood for my master to cook a meal."
"If one could boast that a kind heart can earn one a firewood stove and a vegetarian meal, then there would be no poor people in heaven and earth."
Bao'e took another step: "I only said these things because I was afraid you would misunderstand me, since you are so inflexible. It's not like I'm bragging."
The swordsman suddenly fiddled with the old tassel on his sword and laughed, "If you say any more, don't blame the sword for being merciless."
Bao'e was annoyed and cursed inwardly: What kind of swordsman is he? He's just a shrewish woodcutter, and he's so petty! If I lend him some firewood, he'll protect me. But if I lend him rice or flour, he'll hate me for eight generations.
"Hmph!" she sneered. "Living in the same temple, yet harboring two different hearts. It's only because I'm compassionate that I'm here. If my senior brother were here, he wouldn't allow you to play tricks on me. He wouldn't even need to borrow a stove; he'd just beat you to death with a stick, then use your bones as firewood and hollow out your stomach to use as a stove!"
The swordsman's expression changed slightly upon hearing the phrase "two-faced".
He was about to ask more questions when Bao'e had already strode away.
Meanwhile, Bao'e rushed back to the courtyard in front of the temple gate and saw Tang Sanzang. She hurriedly stepped forward and complained, "Master, the owner of the stove won't lend it to me. He even thinks my head is a watermelon and wants to chop it to pieces with an axe!"
One sentence sent a chill down Sanzang's spine: "Wumiao, stop talking nonsense. Your head is still on your neck, how could someone have chopped it off?"
Tang Sanzang said, "Wumiao, he has his reasons for not lending it. Why not just buy some with money?"
Bao'e stopped calling him "Master" and muttered, "You monk, you make it sound so easy. When I left Gaojiazhuang, you forbade me to take any gold or silver. What money did I have? I couldn't possibly have a single coin. Even if you forced me, I could only scrape a few pieces of yellow paper from someone else's grave and let that woodcutter laugh at me."
These words angered Sanzang so much that he frowned, sighed, and remained silent for a long time.
"Don't be angry, don't be angry! I'll go." The Monkey King chuckled and took over the conversation. "It just so happens that I'm hungry. I saw some fresh rice, flour, fruit and vegetables piled up in the corner of the kitchen. I can eat some while I'm at it, so I'll have the strength to fight the monsters."
Sanzang nodded and said, "Go then."
Bao'e quickly grabbed Wukong: "Brother, is it really new? I didn't see it just now."
“You fool, you must not have gone into that room. There are countless fresh and sweet fruits, good vegetables just picked from the ground, and the snacks and steamed buns on the stove are all steaming hot.” Just as he was saying this, he was about to leave again.
Bao'e grabbed his arm with both hands: "Brother, how can I let you do the work of borrowing a stove by yourself? Wouldn't that be unfair? Let me go with you."
The traveler simply laughed and said, "Of course, of course!"
It turned out that the Great Sage had deliberately told her some lies to coax her out of laziness, but Sanzang was unaware of this. He was very pleased to see that the two of them had returned to harmony.
He took out a few coins, thinking that Wukong was impetuous, and handed them to Bao'e, instructing her: "Wumiao, ask that benefactor again to borrow the stove. If he doesn't agree, you can eat the leftover rice crust and wild fruit, just don't argue."
Good Bao'e grabbed the few coins, lingering over them, touching and rubbing them until she finally stuffed them into her pocket.
The traveler walked with her toward the kitchen and laughed, "Master is too biased, he's willing to give you a few coins."
Bao'e clutched her pocket tightly, somewhat annoyed: "Senior brother, what you said is unreasonable. This money is ultimately spent on everyone, not just for me."
Wukong wanted to mock her a bit more, but suddenly he sensed a gust of cold wind.
He suspected that it must be the evil spirit that deceived Wu Miao, and now it has set its sights on Sanzang.
He also thought that if he went back, that lazy old fool would definitely refuse to borrow the stove.
He secretly plucked a hair, transformed it into a fake body, and went to the kitchen with Wu Miao, while his real body leaped back.
Bao'e was unaware of this.
She initially carried the rake, but soon grew tired of it, slammed it to the ground, and dragged it behind her.
"Senior brother," she asked, "is that white rice or brown rice in the kitchen?"
The fake traveler said, "There's rice! There's rice!"
The simpleton didn't understand, scratched his head, and asked again, "What kinds of fruits are there? Are they red or green?"
"It's true, it's true!"
"You monkey, why are you spouting nonsense and trying to pick up on me?"
"There's a monkey! There's a monkey!"
Bao'e finally noticed that something was wrong with him and grabbed him, saying, "Brother, you're such a monkey who can eat anything, how come you've become so stupid from hunger?"
That fake Monkey King was transformed from a hair, as light as a mustard seed. With a tug, he floated sideways in mid-air, drifting like a kite, still saying, "There's wind, there's wind!"
"It was a fake!" Bao'e jumped up and down in anger, dragging her rake and beating the fake pilgrim until he disappeared without a trace. "This stable boy tricked me again! I'm already in such a sorry state, and he still bullies me!"
She wanted to go back, but then she saw a wisp of smoke rising from a chimney in the distance.
"I'll just ask for a stove, I'm not afraid. Once I've got my hands covered in soot, I'll make sure that brat has a black face when he goes out." Bao'e cursed and went to the kitchen, where she saw the swordsman stuffing firewood into the stove.
The soup in the pot was boiling and bubbling, with wisps of white steam rising from it.
Neatly chopped bamboo shoots, green vegetables, wood ear mushrooms, gluten, and shiitake mushrooms were arranged on the stove...
Bao'e stared intently, taking in every detail without missing a single one.
The swordsman had already spotted her.
He stuffed in the last piece of firewood, stood up, and leaned against the stove with his arms crossed.
“You’re quite bold, you demon,” he laughed. “Could it be that you underestimated the power of swords because your sword missed just now?”
"An empty stomach makes a coward starve to death!" Bao'e stared blankly at the stove. "Brother Qiao, what are you cooking in this pot?"
Upon hearing this strange nickname, the swordsman didn't correct him, but simply laughed: "White Water."
"What does this plain water taste like?"
"Tasteless and bland."
"Then you must not have added any bamboo shoots or greens to the pot yet. Your bamboo shoots look fresh and tender; a little oil and salt will make them delicious." As she spoke, Bao'e moved closer to the pot.
But a sword swept across, blocking her path.
Annoyed, she angrily took out the few coins: "Master gave me money! I specifically asked you to lend me the stove."
“I don’t want any money,” the swordsman said. “I only have one question for you.”
Hearing that he didn't want any money, Bao'e didn't hesitate at all. She quickly stuffed the few coins back into her pocket, carefully kept them safe, and then asked, "What's the matter?"
"You just said, 'We live in the same temple, yet we have two different hearts,' but who did you see in the temple?"
"Brother, how could you be so unlucky? Is it because the smoke from the firewood has ruined your eyes that you can't see the other young master surnamed Nie who lives in the temple?"
"Oh, Young Master Nie, that's it." The swordsman, sword in hand, leaned lazily against the stove. He crossed his arms, making his bulging chest even more prominent.
Bao'e glanced at it boldly, then glanced again, and then looked once more.
Such handsome looks and charm made her heart itch with desire. She said, "My lord, you don't know that Young Master Nie must live alone in this half of the temple. He comes and goes all by himself, doesn't he find it boring?"
“I’m used to being alone; it’s been like this since I was a child,” he said.
“It’s still good to have someone by your side,” Bao’e said, stepping forward. “To tell you the truth, I happen to be unmarried and am currently looking for a suitable husband.”
The swordsman thought to himself that this vixen was really unserious, but also quite amusing. He laughed at her, "Does your monk master know that you're interested in marriage?"
"He'll be the groom's son-in-law, and he'll even get to attend the wedding banquet."
"That would be perfect," the swordsman chuckled. "But we must choose an auspicious day and time, and lest we reveal our demonic nature at the banquet and incur the wrath of the guests."
Bao'e spat inwardly, cursing the woodcutter for being so tactless and playing tricks on her; he deserved a beating!
Unexpectedly, the swordsman added, "This is the only kitchen in this deserted temple, but you can borrow it without paying. There is also some cooked rice porridge available for you to eat."
Upon hearing this, Bao'e immediately forgot that she had just been scolding him and happily went forward.
“Good brother,” she said, “there is no kind-hearted person like you in heaven and on earth.”
Bao'e stopped and looked at him without saying a word.
He said, "There's something I need your help with in the future."
"Of course, of course!" Bao'e was preoccupied with the rice porridge and didn't listen to him at all. She gave a perfunctory reply and pushed his sword away.
She was so hungry that she found a bowl of rice porridge that was being cooled, and without any hesitation, she picked it up with both hands and was about to eat it.
The swordsman asked, "Weren't you supposed to beg for alms for that monk?"
“You woodcutter, you don’t know any better. As your apprentice, I should taste it for my master first. How can something that doesn’t taste good be eaten by my master?” Bao’e didn’t even look at him, opened her mouth, and swallowed it whole.
The swordsman, unaware of her appetite, assumed she was no different from an ordinary person.
But after a short while, he saw her let out a long sigh and put down the rice bucket that was as thick as a person could hug.
The bucket was completely empty.
That's his food intake for two days.
Not a single grain remains.
The swordsman's smiling eyes narrowed slightly.
He couldn't help but ask, "I never asked before, what kind of demon are you?"
Bao'e, sparing a bit of patience, replied, "Your grandma is the Pig Fairy. Today is your good fortune, as you've made offerings to the gods."
The swordsman paused for a moment, then understood: "No wonder he has such a large appetite."
Bao'e patted her belly and smiled happily at him, "Brother, you have such skill! Even the taverns down the mountain are not as good as you. It's just a pity that the portion is a bit small, not enough to fill you up."
The swordsman was somewhat skeptical of what he had heard: "Not full yet?"
"Too little, too little! It's only enough to fill me up a little. I need to make more so that it'll be barely enough to eat." Bao'e threw down the rice bucket. She had regained some strength and was now able to set up the pot and cook.
She had eaten all the rice porridge the swordsman had given her, so she had to eat yesterday's leftovers.
While he was eating, he seemed to notice something, suddenly put down his bowl, turned around and hurried away.
Bao'e no longer remembered him. She ate seven or eight bowls of brown rice and several dishes of vegetables before she felt refreshed.
After she finished eating, she suddenly remembered something strange: the swordsman said there was only one kitchen in the area, so where did Young Master Nie go to prepare the vegetarian meal?
Unable to figure it out, she simply put it out of her mind and picked and chose some vegetarian food to eat with Sanzang.
Meanwhile, Sanzang stood quietly under the tree, waiting for his two disciples to beg for alms, when he suddenly saw a young man in white robes carrying a wooden box slowly approaching.
The young man's face was as bright as the moon, and his whole demeanor was elegant and refined.
“Elder,” he bowed and said, “just now a Bodhisattva kindly saved my life. She said she was escorting my master to the Western Paradise to obtain the scriptures and happened to be passing through this place. I suppose the master she was referring to is you, Elder.”
Sanzang hurriedly said, "It must be my reckless disciple who has caused so much trouble. I hope Benefactor Nie will not be afraid."
"Elder, you flatter me. Without Miss Bao'e, I fear I would have perished under that villain's blade." Nie Guiyu asked, "Where is she?"
Sanzang replied, "She and my eldest disciple went to use the kitchen."
Nie Guiyu asked calmly, "Does the elder have any other disciples?"
"My eldest disciple's surname is Sun, and his name is Sun Wukong. He has a sharp tongue and a clumsy mouth, but he is quite capable."
"Unfortunately, we were unable to meet," Nie Guiyu said. "Begging for alms takes some time, so I have prepared a vegetarian meal as a token of my gratitude. I hope the elder will not mind and will feel free to eat some."
Sanzang looked down and saw the food box in his hand.
Exquisite and meticulous, of exceptional quality.
A note from the author:
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