"Is this offering to the monks in this temple?"

In the main hall, the candle flame dispersed the pervasive night, reflecting the figures.

Glancing at the old farmer, Lian Ge said in a calm tone.

"Yes, this offering is the original masters in this temple. ”

The old farmer was in front of the offering table, lighting incense wax, and answering the words,

“...... When I was younger, these masters were still there. Several masters know some medical skills, and on weekdays, people in the village have a headache and brain fever, and when they go to the temple, several masters will give them a look, and they will also pick some herbs for themselves. ”

Looking at the tablet table, the old farmer said,

“...... The people in the village took care of the illness and gave money to these masters, but these masters didn't want it, saying that it was useless for the family to take the money, but sometimes the villagers brought some rice and noodles and would order ......"

As he spoke, the old peasant paused, a little respectful, first inserted the lit wax into the incense burner on the offering table, then pinched the incense, and after making a gesture at the tablet, he inserted the incense into the incense burner.

In front of the offering table, after kowtowing a few times to the tablet, he stood up again with some difficulty.

“...... Several masters bless my son and daughter-in-law to be safe and secure outside, and bless my daughter-in-law and mother and son to be safe. ”

With his hands folded and a few words in his mind, the old peasant turned around again, went to the side door, walked away, picked up the broom leaning against the wall next to the door, and swept it up little by little in the main hall.

“...... In those years, there was a great drought first, and then there was a great flood, and there were natural disasters, and the grain in the fields was confiscated, and the people in the whole village had nothing to eat, so they wanted to pull up all the grass on the ground and cook it to eat. At this time, several masters in this temple gave all the food they had saved little by little to the villagers in order to thank them for what they had given on weekdays, as well as the food they had also cultivated before.

Only then did the people in the village survive, and no one starved to death. ”

As the old peasant spoke, he swept the ashes in the hall, and then turned his head to look at the tablet on the table.

“...... A few years ago, these masters were old and gone, and they didn't have any apprentices, so the temple was empty......"

As he spoke, the old peasant was silent for a while, and then laughed again,

“...... Speaking of which, when I was young, I went to this mountain and said that I would follow a few masters to become monks.

However, they did not agree and persuaded me to go back.

They said, "If your parents are still alive, filial piety is practice, and if you have a wife and children, raising children is also practice." The smiles of parents, wives and children are often on their faces, which is the paradise on the other side. ”

The old farmer smiled, paused again, and looked at the tablets,

“...... In our village, except for some young people, there is no culture, and they do not know any Buddhist rules, after a few masters went, the villagers discussed, and put this tablet in the main hall, and these Buddha statues together.

Usually, every once in a while, we come up to see these masters, and clean the temple by the way. This temple is a place where several masters live, and it can't be left to waste. ”

As he spoke, the old peasant continued to take a broom and sweep the dust in the temple.

Listening to the old peasant's narration, Lian Ge glanced at the several tablets on the table, and then at the body of the old monk leaning outside the main hall, withdrew his gaze, and didn't say anything.

......

“...... Young man, do you have a place to stay in the middle of the night?"

The old farmer shoveled up the ashes, put them in a bag, raised his head again, looked outside the hall, turned his head to Lian Ge and asked,

"Nearby, there is a village in our village at the bottom of the mountain, and there is no car on the road at night, so why don't you go to the village with me to rest for the night." ”

"Thanks to the old man, I won't bother. Lian Ge smiled slightly and shook his head.

"What are you bothering about......"

The old farmer tied the plastic bag with ash tightly, lifted it up, and waved his hand.

“...... Otherwise, young man, you can rest in this temple for the night. ”

The old peasant stood up and said,

"The road is not easy to walk on this big night, and when a few masters are still there, it will be convenient to do it. If you don't dislike it, young man, there is a room next to this hall. On weekdays, when the villagers come up to help take care of the temple, sometimes they will rest in the temple for the night, and there is a quilt and mattress in the bedside cabinet, and you can sleep on the bedside bed. ”

"That's a nuisance. ”

"Don't bother, don't bother," the old farmer smiled and waved his hand again.

"Alright, then young man, you can rest in the temple, and I will go down to the village first, old man. ”

The old farmer smiled, said something to Lian Ge, and then turned his head to look at the tablet on the table.

“...... A few masters, I will go down to the village first, and come to see a few masters another day. ”

After saying a word, the old peasant carried a plastic bag containing ash, stepped out of the main hall, and walked out of the temple gate along the winding mountain road next to the main hall, unaware of the body of the old monk in the night.

......

Watching the old farmer walk away, Lian Ge turned his gaze back,

The hall was quiet again, only the flame of the incense candle flickered slightly.

Glancing at the tablet on the table again, Lian Ge retracted his gaze and walked out towards the outside of the main hall.

......

"Let's go. ”

"Squeak Squeak......"

glanced at the body of the old monk leaning outside the main hall, tilted his head slightly, and then looked at the back of the temple,

After a pause, Lian Ge withdrew his gaze, waved his hand, picked up the old monk, and turned around and walked towards the outside of the temple.

......

Stepping out of the temple gate, Lian Ge walked along the courtyard wall towards the back of the temple.

Bypassing a somewhat mottled courtyard wall, Lian Ge paused again.

Behind the temple, there is a slightly rising hillside, and beyond the slope, it is the other side of the mountain.

On the slope, it has been reclaimed into fields, but it seems that it has been abandoned for a long time, and some weeds have grown.

A path was trodden out of the weeds, and at the end of the path, there were several graves rising in the fields.

In front of the grave stood a tombstone, which was the name on the tablets in the temple.

Moving his footsteps, he walked along the path to the grave, and after a pause, Lian Ge walked a little further towards the tombs.

After pausing again, Lian Ge put down the old monk,

Turning his gaze and looking down the slope.

Going down this slope, not far away is the temple, beyond the temple, further away, you can see the mountain down, the peaceful village.

In the village, the lights of the houses are on, and the windows shine through the windows, dotted in the night, and in the night, the oblique moon and the stars shine.

With the breeze, there were some roosters and dogs barking from time to time in the village.

retracted his gaze, and then looked at the tombs not far away,

Lian Ge looked at the old monk beside him and paused,

Driven by mana, he waved his hand at the old monk,

The ground under the old monk's body, following closely, slowly sank and fell into a grave pit.

The old monk was still cross-legged, his head hanging, and he fell into the grave pit with the sunken ground.

The tomb took shape, Lian Ge looked at the old monk again, withdrew his gaze, and waved his hand again.

The old monk's bag package fell into the old monk's side, in the grave,

The falling cicada also fell on the old monk's shoulder and monk's robe again.

On both sides of the grave pit, the earth slid down and slid into the grave pit, where the grave pit was refilled and the old monk was buried.

The debarked branch stood up again, and was inserted into the tomb, like a tombstone,

Immediately after, a new sprout was drawn from the branch, trembling slightly with the breeze.

Retracting his hand, Lian Ge turned his gaze back, looked at the branch, and the shoots on the branch, paused,

Smiling slightly, Lian Ge withdrew his gaze,

"Let's go,"

"Squeak Squeak......"

Turning around and moving his steps again, Lian Ge walked down the hill.

Mixed with the cries of the guinea pigs, one person and one mouse gradually moved away, and the graves also faded away behind them.