Chapter 24: The Victims
Looking at the sky, several people hurried all the way. After more than an hour, Jia Fu panted and said to Yang Yong: "I'm tired, are you sure you didn't lie to me, this trek is really tiring."
"At the insistence, it will be there soon," Yang Yong patiently explained, his voice a little loud.
Wang An looked at the front as if he had found something, and hurriedly said to Liu Sheng and the others eagerly: "Look ahead."
I saw a tent in front of me, a temporary camp set up. Torches are lit at the intersections to facilitate the movement of pedestrians in the camp. Occasionally, a few monks walked into the tents.
"This is the temple?" Jia Fu pointed to the tent in front of him and asked in an uncertain tone.
Wang An said to Jia Fu affirmatively: "No, there is still some distance from the temple."
"So what's going on?" Sima looked at the scene in front of him and asked puzzled.
At this time, from a tent, a scrawny old man walked out. The old man looked at Liu Sheng and the others, standing helplessly. He beckoned to them and asked in a kind tone, "Where did you come from, and are you lost?" If you get lost, I can find someone to help you find out."
"We were here to go on a trip, but it was getting late. The city gate was locked, and I walked here unconsciously" Sima Zhao hurriedly walked over and replied, and several people hurriedly followed.
The old man thought for a while, nodded to them and said, "So that's the case, I see that a few of you are dressed as scholars." It must be a learned gentleman, if you don't dislike the simplicity of the little old man here, then I will be here for a while."
"That's not a problem for you." Wang An heard that the old man invited them to live in his tent and hurriedly arrived politely.
As soon as Wang An's voice fell, Liu Sheng also took over the conversation and continued: "Old man, there are more of us. If you stay here, it's just too much trouble for you."
"No trouble, no trouble. I'm afraid that you will dislike it, little old man is shabby here." The old man hurriedly finished politely, and pointed to a tent in front of Liu Sheng and the others. A few people understood what the old man meant and walked over.
When the five walked in, they found the tent almost empty. A large straw mat was spread on the ground, covering almost the entire tent. There was also a sheet about the size of a straw mat, which seemed to be used by the old man as a quilt. At this time, it is the transition of spring and summer, and there is plenty of rain. Looking at the old man, the bony body, and the thin clothes. I don't know how he spends his day.
Looking at the puzzled expressions of several people, the old man laughed: "Isn't it a feeling that a few people are incredible?"
Liu Sheng looked at the old man, smiled happily and asked puzzledly, "How do you spend your daily life in such a humble way." I see that although you are simple here, you can feel the taste of happiness in your eyes."
"The taste of happiness". The old man muttered, looked up at Liu Sheng, only to find that they were still standing and hurriedly said, "Sit and sit, you have been standing." On the contrary, I feel that I am a little old man, and I don't know how to count the etiquette."
After hearing this, several people hurriedly sat on the straw mat with the old man. After sitting down, Sima Zhao asked with concern: "Old man, why is this?"
Although Sima Zhao didn't understand what he said, he already understood it in his heart when he looked at the eyes of these young people in front of him. What the hell are they trying to ask? The old man looked at their gazes, organized the language in his heart, and said slowly in a slightly low tone: "Little Lao'er was originally from the south, because of the flood. Homes and fields were flooded overnight. The little old man had a big life, and he fled along the way. The journey is thousands of miles and there are many difficulties. I was separated from my relatives on the road again, and I suffered a lot along the way. I can only run with the big team in a daze, and I have already run here before I know it. Thanks to the monks in this temple, when they saw our misery, they sent tents, straw mats, and bed sheets. There is also a woman in white, such as Guanyin, who is alive with a bodhisattva heart. Almost every day, they brought people to bring food and porridge to help us, and they made these torches that you are looking at."
"Woman in white......" Sima Zhao's eyes appeared with the figure of a woman, if it wasn't for her relief, I don't know how many waves would have been born in it. Liu Sheng, Jia Fu, Wang An, and Yang Yong also appeared in their hearts at the same time, and they didn't know if they were the same person.
The old man looked at them and pondered, and said to them with a smile: "So now that it is like this, it has made the little old man feel very happy." Not only is there a place to eat, dress and sleep, what other thing in this world can make people happier than these? “
"Since you people are victims of the disaster in the south, you can know that two months ago, the imperial court issued an order, and a minister sent south to take full charge of disaster relief matters. You can go back and rebuild your homeland. You may also be able to find your family members who were separated during the flight." At this time, several people woke up from their contemplation, and Wang An asked suspiciously.
The old man looked at them and was puzzled, and replied with emotion: "Little Lao'er also heard from the monks in the temple about this, but they said that the disciples in the temple have gone to the south in two batches with a total of 2,000 people. I heard a letter from the senior brother over there, saying that the disaster was more serious than I imagined. The presiding officer discussed with the disciples in the temple that in a few days, the last thousand people would also rush to the south. I was very touched when I heard this, and I decided to go with them."
"They have gone more than two thousand people? When is the matter". Yang Yong was surprised and asked, he didn't know that so many people were moving.
The old man looked at Yang Yong with a surprised look and explained, "I heard that they started to go south in batches a few months ago."
"It deserves to be the Buddha Jue Temple, and I am really impressed by such actions." Wang An said with emotion that he had always had a question in his heart, what is a Buddha.
When the old man heard Wang An say the name of the temple, he looked moved and asked Wang An, "This son, you actually know the name of the temple." As far as Xiao Lao'er knows, there are not many people who know this name. If I hadn't strayed into the temple and saw the words on the temple door, I wouldn't have known the name of the temple either."
"I'm ashamed, I was young and naughty in the past, and I inadvertently broke into the temple with my friends," Wang An listened to the old man's words and quickly explained.
The old man suddenly realized and said to the five people: "No wonder...... It's not too early now, so let's rest early."
After speaking, the old man lay down directly, pulled up the sheet and covered himself. Several people hurriedly went out to find water, washed up for a while and went to sleep, today they were really tired of running.
Jia Fu slept and thought back to what the old man had just said. The figure of Mingyi Daoist appeared in his heart, and he sighed to everyone: "It's another group of people who are old with bulls and have the same mind."
"You're just hard-mouthed, and you're still shouting the old way of bullnose." Liu Sheng heard that Jia Fu was still shouting this name at this time, and felt silent in his heart for Daoist Mingyi. It seems that he is in front of Jia Fu, and this name is destined to be carried for a long, long time.