In the dilapidated hall, Abbot Zhikong sat cross-legged on a straw mat futon in front of the central offering table, dressed in a patched hundred clothes, with his white eyebrows lowered, chanting scriptures. Several other monks sat on the futon in two separate groups and chanted the scriptures.

Zuo Shaoyang slowly walked to the front of the steps, raised his head to look at the tattered Buddha, and wanted to see if he could find any flaws in the hidden food, but he looked left and right, and didn't find anything wrong.

Miao Peilan helped him up the steps, crossed the high threshold and came to the main hall, and said softly: "Brother Zuo, your legs and feet are inconvenient, I'll help you kowtow, you just have to wish." ”

Zuo Shaoyang nodded. Miao Peilan helped him stand firmly, then slowly let go, then folded her hands, knelt down and kowtowed respectfully three times.

Zuo Shao also folded his hands, but his eyes looked at Abbot Zhikong. The old monk still lowered his eyebrows and chanted the scriptures, as if he had never been in at all.

At that moment, a rush of footsteps was heard, and a group of soldiers poured in from the gate, scattering in all directions. First, an officer and military captain came over with a shy stomach. Seeing Zuo Shaoyang at a glance, he was a little surprised, and immediately smiled all over his face, and arched his hand: "Zuo Gongzi, you are also here." ”

"Hehe, yes," Zuo Shaoyang smiled, "I am grateful for the general's reward, but I am not blessed to see the general in person, so I came to the temple to thank you." ”

"I see, that's as it should be."

Zuo Shaoyang said with a smile: "Ladies and gentlemen, come to the temple to search for food?" ”

The lieutenant smiled helplessly: "Yes, the general has an order, all places must be searched, not to mention temples, even if it is a latrine, you must dig it out to see if there is any food hidden." Alas, there is no way, there is a shortage of food in the army, and if you don't think about it, tens of thousands of soldiers will all starve to death. ――Didn't disturb Zuo Gongzi to make a wish? ”

"No, no, no, hehe, I've already made a wish," Zuo Shaoyang didn't dare to say more, and hurriedly stepped aside, "Your Excellency, please." ”

"Don't dare to be, my surname is Pang, and I am a fire chief, just call me Pang Huochang. Huh"

"It turned out to be Pang Huochang!"

Zuo Shaoyang is a model of the general's support, although he is not an official, but it is more important than ordinary officials, if he does not give him face, he does not give the general face, then he can't afford to bear the crime, seeing that he is here to make a vow, Pang Huochang immediately respected a lot, smiled and arched his hand to the abbot Zhikong and said: "Master, I am ordered by the general to search for those who do not pay the hidden food, although your temple is a quiet place for Buddhism, but it is also necessary to search, if there is excess rations hidden in the temple, please take the initiative to hand it over now, for the sake of the Bodhisattva's face, How about the twenty lashes? ”

Zuo Shaoyang's heart suddenly hung up.

Abbot Zhikong slowly raised his head at this time, his gray eyebrows trembled, and he said in a dumb voice: "Several senior brothers in the small temple want to open the valley every spring and absorb the essence of the moon. Therefore, it is said that there is no going out, and there is no donor, so there is no food in the temple. ”

"Oh? Then I will search for it, once I find out the excess rations, according to the general's orders, but if I want to be beheaded in the street, even the monks will not be spared! You've figured it out. ”

"But it doesn't hurt to search."

"That's good, search!" Pang Huo shouted loudly, seeing Zuo Shaoyang's somewhat anxious gaze, thinking that he was a Buddhist believer, for fear that the soldiers would rummage through the cabinets and find blasphemy against the Bodhisattva, and hurriedly added: "Listen, pay attention to me, don't mess up the things of the masters!" ”

Zuo Shaoyang saw Pang Huochang looking at him, and hurriedly gave a smile, Pang Huochang thought that he had guessed Zuo Shaoyang's thoughts, and grinned a little proudly.

All the soldiers agreed in unison, searched around, and when they got the order, they didn't dare to rummage, and carefully looked east and west.

A few other soldiers, carrying a large wooden stake of rammed earth tied to four iron chains, began at the gate and rammed in the open space that filled the courtyard, while the two soldiers lay on the ground, listening to the sound with their ears close to the ground.

Zuo Shaoyang already knew that they were using rammed earth stakes to listen to whether there were any holes underneath. As long as there is a secret passage or cellar underneath, you can know by listening to the sound.

This Qingfeng Temple is not big, and there is no property, so it was quickly searched. Except for the main hall, all the other places have been searched, and all the places where the cellars may have been dug have been smashed with rammed wood, and nothing suspicious has been found. After searching everywhere, the soldiers returned the items to their original state, and then returned to the compound to report to Pang Huochang.

After listening to the report, Pang Huochang nodded, looked at the huge Buddha statue, walked around the hall with his hands behind his back, returned to the abbot of Zhikong, bent down, and said in a low voice: "Master, this Buddha statue is also searched, to see if there is food hidden in it, I don't know if it will work?" ”

Zuo Shaoyang was anxious, last night Zhikong hid the food in the stomach of this Bodhisattva, if he searched it, it would be absolutely exposed, but he had to find a way to stop it, and he couldn't show traces, he forced himself to calm down, and said lightly: "Lord Huo, even if the Buddha has searched the pure land, it will be a little too much, right?" ”

How dare Pang Huochang offend him, he bent his waist and said: "Yes, yes, but ......, the general specially explained that all the search teams, all places, no matter who they are, must be thoroughly and carefully searched." Therefore, the villain does not dare to disobey the general's orders......"

Zuo Shaoyang heard him bring out the general, and was about to speak, but the abbot of Zhikong had already said slowly: "It's okay, this mud bodhisattva is just an imaginary image, the real bodhisattva is in my heart, even if I search it, it doesn't hurt to smash it." ”

The more Zhikong said this, the more Pang Huochang didn't dare to make a mistake, especially Zuo Shaoyang with a straight face beside him, it was even more difficult to do, but he couldn't pay the difference if he didn't check, he thought about it, and said to Zuo Shaoyang with a smile: "Otherwise, the villain will make a hole under the Bodhisattva's arm and take care of it with a torch, even if it has been checked, this small hole will be easy to repair." What does Zuo Gongzi think? ”

It is Qingfeng Temple that is to be searched, and it stands to reason that it has nothing to do with Zuo Shaoyang, but now Zuo Shaoyang is a model of supporting the army who is personally sealed by the general, and he repaid his vows here just now, and it is the kindness of the general, Pang Huochang can't help but take care of Zuo Shaoyang's feelings, so he has this question.

Zuo Shaoyang saw that Zhikong was so confident, and thought to himself, could it be that he transferred the grain again last night? Or is there something greasy in this bodhisattva? Can the grain be covered up? In any case, since he was not even afraid of the official army smashing the Bodhisattva search, he was even less afraid of making a small hole to observe.

Zuo Shaoyang immediately smiled and said: "The masters of the people have agreed, what can I say?" Just be careful, don't blaspheme the Bodhisattva. ”

"Yes, yes! I'll fight it myself. ”

Pang Huochang took a spear from the soldier next to him, carefully climbed up to the base of the Buddha statue, looked left and right, tiptoed to the side of the Buddha's body, lifted the ragged robe, and carefully drilled under the bent elbow of the Buddha statue.

He drew his spear and looked inside. Inside, the black rumbling nature can't see anything. A soldier brought him an oil lamp, but the light could not shine through, so he could not see anything clearly. So he turned the handle of the gun upside down and stuck in and stabbed it, but he didn't feel anything, he was still not at ease, and he stabbed it up and down again, but there was still nothing unusual.

Pang Huo hurriedly jumped off the Buddha statue, handed the spear to the soldier next to him, and arched his hand: "After searching, there is nothing, hehe," took out the money bag from his arms, took out a hanging of money and put it on the offering table: "I'm really sorry, I have damaged the Buddha statue, and I am guilty of sin." Due to his busy schedule, he didn't have time to repair it, so he used this money as a fund for repair. ”

Abbot Zhikong was tepid, lowered his eyebrows and continued to chant the scriptures, and several other monks followed suit. As if he didn't care about it at all.

Pang Huochang respectfully made a gesture to the Buddha statue, bowed his hand to Zuo Shaoyang, and after confessing his guilt, he withdrew from the temple with the soldiers.

Zuo Shaoyang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He really wanted to ask Abbot Zhikong if the grain had been transferred. As if he knew what he was thinking, Abbot Zhikong looked up at him, a smile appeared on his wrinkled face, and then lowered his head and recited the scriptures.

Zuo Shaoyang understood that Abbot Zhikong's smile meant that the food was safe and sound, and he suddenly felt relieved, bowed his hand, and with the support of Miao Peilan, he slowly walked out of the main hall and returned to the pharmacy through the alley.

In the lobby of the pharmacy, Li Dazhuang was sitting on a low stool, concentrating on depicting the words of the general's inscription on the plaque for carving, which was arranged by Zuo Gui's father. When he saw Zuo Shaoyang coming back, he hurriedly got up and bowed down: "Young Master Zuo!" You're back. ”

"It's Brother Li, what's the matter, do you still carve?"

Miao Peilan smiled on the side: "Didn't I tell you?" Brother Li is a carpenter with very skillful skills, and he can carve beams and paint buildings. ”

Zuo Shaoyang smiled: "It's really good. That's in for you. ”

Li Dazhuang said: "My mother asked me to thank Young Master Zuo, our family hasn't eaten a single rice for several days, and we all rely on wild vegetables to satisfy our hunger." My mother is so hungry that she can't do it. But there was no way, the construction site was suspended, there was no food, only to close your eyes and wait for death. Previously, Pei Lan came over with four steamed buns and brought Young Master Zuo's words, our family was so happy, my mother was so happy that she cried, saying that even if she died and became a cow and a horse in the next life, she would not be able to repay Guizhitang's kindness......"

Speaking of this, Li Dazhuang's eyes were also red, and his nose was a little sour.

Zuo Shaoyang smiled: "Four steamed buns are not enough to eat, right?" Tomorrow there will be eight steamed buns. We eat while you're working, so you don't have to worry about going hungry. ”

He didn't say this before, but now he has ten buckets of rice given by the general, and Fu Teamzheng's words, as long as he doesn't buy or sell grain, his family's grain is used to pay wages and so on. That's why this decision was made on the fly.

Li Dazhuang was pleasantly surprised: "Really ......?" ”

"Yes, you have a family of six, and all four of your brothers are strong laborers, and there is not enough food for six people to eat eight buns a day, so you can leave these to them, and you can eat them with me while you are working. Two meals a day, morning and evening, two steamed buns and a bowl of soup each. ”

(To be continued)