readx(); In the winter of the tenth year of Dayuan, Dengfeng Mansion in Henan Province was sued into a town. It was evening, although the sun was still faintly hanging in the corner of the sky, the sunlight was reflected on the body, and I didn't feel half warm. The light is shallow, and the cold wind is not cold; The white mist on the north side of the town gradually rose, slowly enveloping the town. Pedestrians on the street were cold, full of solemnity.

Cooking smoke lit in the town, and most of them were wiped out. The smoke was condensed by the cold air, and it merged with the white mist, faintly diffusing in the town. In the fog, you can smell the smell of charcoal fireworks. The grass is cold and smoky, but it looks more and more depressed.

A young monk, standing on a stone platform outside the town, was looking into the town. The monk is dressed in a gray robe, decorated with large and small patches, and the colors are different. Although he is in tattered clothes, he has a strange appearance, a resolute expression, and a high-spirited air of his own.

The young monk's face showed a slight anxiety, and he looked at the smoke in the air, and silently wrote it down in his heart. This is the fourth time in four years that he has passed through this town. When he begged four years ago, he was only a seventeen-year-old boy. In the flow of begging all the way that year, most of them died on the side of the country road. But after the catastrophe, he survived.

For the next three years, he begged for a week every year along the original road, in the south in the winter and in the north in the summer. Everywhere they go, a family only asks for it once. Many families saw that this young man was involved in danger and went through the rest of his life, and they couldn't help but sigh. Even if it is difficult, they will give him a few mouthfuls of food. Year after year, this young man has grown into a young man in his prime, and his figure has become taller and straighter, but the acquaintances of previous years have become more and more difficult, and there are fewer and fewer of them.

He has been in this town for three days. This year, the natural disaster is still severe, and most people in the town only cook a hot meal in the evening. In the past three days, he has only begged for two meals of gruel from acquaintances. He wanted to go south, but when he got to the next town, with the strength of his feet, he would have to walk for two days. It's a blessing to come, if it's like this, what can you do..? ”

When the monk thought of this, he was panicked, and hurriedly walked down the stone platform and ran towards a family in the town. When he arrived at the door, he struck the door panel three times and shouted, "Amitabha! Ask the host's family to be kind and evenly serve half a bowl of vegetable porridge. ”

He stood at the door for a moment, but did not knock again, and shouted twice, but when no one paid attention, he turned and went to the next house. When I got to the next door, I did the same, but I was still just begging for a closed door.

After five or six families like this, the monk became more and more anxious. Quickly walked to the door of a house again, and saw that the smoke had not yet dissipated, so he hurriedly knocked on the door and shouted: "Amitabha!" Ask the host's family to be kind and evenly serve half a bowl of vegetable porridge. After waiting for a while, seeing that there was still no response in the house, he turned around and wanted to leave, but he paused again.

He hesitated for a moment, then turned around and shouted in a deep voice: "I also came here at this time last year, and I inherited your family's great kindness and kindness, and gave me two steamed buns, which I will never forget for the rest of my life." I'm only begging for half a bowl of leftover porridge now, and I'll leave tomorrow! ”

He shouted and stood in front of the door for a long time, only the faint sound of the touch of dishes and chopsticks was heard in the room, and no one answered. The monk was stunned for a moment and slowly left. The frost and mist coldly fell, condensed into tiny beads on his eyebrows and face, smoked by the hot breath exhaled from his mouth and nose, and slowly slid down his cheeks.

The monk walked away a few feet and waved his sleeves to wipe away the cold water on his face. Sucheng Town is only a few hundred steps long, and several families have begged for it, and it has already reached the edge of the town. The monk looked around, and then looked at the people in the town. The winter night came so fast that the sun had set and it was already dark.

He walked back slowly, looked intently, and suddenly saw a family on the edge of Xishou Town cooking smoke, and hurriedly hurried there. He had walked for half an hour, and he was getting more and more hungry and flustered, and his steps were already vain. When he arrived in front of the door of this house, he calmed down and raised his palm to knock on the door, and the knock was already quite urgent. After knocking on the door, he shouted loudly and shouted the begging joke several times.

He leaned closer, and saw the dim light flickering in the door of the door, but there was still no answer, only a chuckle that seemed to come from the cold night.

The barrier in his heart was shattered by this specious chuckle in an instant. Standing in front of the door, sleeping in the open for four years, running around and toiling, panicking like a lost dog. Unexpectedly, today is finally down. Looking up at the night sky, I suddenly realized that the world was so big that there was no place to stand. Maybe if you bury this body in that piece of loess tonight, you won't have to suffer this boundless sorrow again.

He lost his soul in front of the door for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and knocked on the door a few more times with the iron bowl in his hand. This clanging sound sounded suddenly, and it was heard far away in the quiet night, as if it was his resistance to the sky.

In the midst of the sudden noise, he had heard someone in the room being startled and whispering, it was a woman's voice. He shouted, "Ask the Bodhisattva to have mercy and give me a few mouthfuls of food, so that I will not starve to death tonight." This time he was hoarse and shouted, and he was already dizzy. The words landed for a moment, and finally saw the lights flickering in the crack of the door, and a person slowly opened the door.

He couldn't help but rejoice in his heart. The cold was harsh, and his eyelashes were already moistened by the cold mist. At this time, his eyes were sour, although it was not all because of pity or joy, and he did not want to shed tears, so he was busy rubbing his eyes with the sleeves of his robe.

The wooden door opened with a "squeak", and the oil lamp was like a bean, already revealing a faint light. The monk stood quietly in the night for a long time, and in the blink of an eye he could see the person who came, it was a young woman, with a gray robe and a jacket, which was also quite shabby. A dish on his face, describing thinness.

The woman held the oil lamp a little higher and looked at the monk's appearance. After a while, he sighed and said, "You wait a while." He took the oil lamp back to the house. After a while, the woman came out of the house again, carrying a porcelain bowl in her hand, much smaller than the iron bowl in the monk's hand.

The woman poured the gruel from the bowl into the iron bowl and said with a wry smile: "I have eaten some, and there is only so much left." ”

The monk bowed and thanked him, looked at the woman, and was silent for a moment. Reached out and took the bowl in the woman's hand, poured the gruel in the bowl back into the small half, handed it to the woman, and drank the gruel in the bowl in a few sips. The woman was surprised: "There is not much left, you only eat these, how.. How to get by? He said that he handed the bowl in his hand to the monk again.

The monk grinned and wanted to smile, but it was more ugly than crying. He felt sad and self-pity at the moment, took two steps back, and hissed: "When my father died, I wanted to drink a bowl of porridge, and I begged for dozens of miles of land for him, but I didn't ask for it." After drinking a few mouthfuls of porridge from the Bodhisattva, he died tonight, and he was already blessed. He turned and walked away.

Suddenly, the woman shouted, "You... Wait a minute. The monk stopped and turned to wait for the woman to speak.

The woman stopped him, was dumbfounded for a moment, and stared at him for a long time, before she turned sideways and said, "My family official... He died of illness last year. Although there are more than ten acres of thin land at home, how can I do it as a woman? There was no harvest this year. When my husband's family saw that I had no children in the house, they coveted the deceased husband's premises and were unwilling to help. You.. If you don't! into my house. Come with me to my husband's house to get some food, and after these few months, we will be able to repay him when there is a harvest in the fields next year. In the next day or two, it's going to snow, you... You don't have to starve to death in the wilderness. ”

The monk was stunned on the spot, his head slowly lowered, and his tall body appeared rickety and old. Suddenly, he bowed down and choked up, "Thank you!" Thank you, Bodhisattva! But he turned away and went away. . . The woman sobbed in a low voice and sat down slowly by the door.

The monk left the town and turned south to go up a hill. The steles on the hill are staggered, and the dead trees are stump. At the top of Degang, there is a small dilapidated temple. The monk picked up some dead branches next to the temple and entered the temple. There was a broken jar in the temple, and he fetched a jar of water, gathered the dead branches under the jar, took out the flint and beat it, and sat down silently by the fire.

There was a soft "click" outside the temple, and there was the sound of dead branches stepping off. The monk slowly looked up at the outside of the temple, hesitated for a moment, and asked in a deep voice, "Who is it?" After a while, only a chuckle came from outside the temple, and no one answered.

The monk frowned, and suddenly his face changed slightly. He had just been in front of the woman's house, and he had faintly heard this chuckle. At that time, he was depressed, and thought that he had misheard it, or that the women of the neighborhood were laughing at him.

He stared at the darkness outside the temple and stopped asking. He listened attentively at this time, and there was silence outside the temple for a long time, and then he heard the sound of footsteps, and a person had already walked into the temple.

I saw that the person who came was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, with snowy skin and picturesque eyes. Although he was dressed in a silk robe, he looked like a nun, but he did not hide his posture for a while.

For several years, the monk was in danger of dying, and every day he was sorrowful and sorrowful, and he was half hungry and half full for a long time. Although it is in the prime of life, it has been a long time since I knew the beauty of Huanting. But at this time, I was taken by the girl's face, and I couldn't help but be stupid for a while.

Seeing that the monk was looking at her blankly, the girl's face was slightly red, she looked at the temple, took a small stool, sat down sideways beside the fire, and said in a low voice: "I.. I'll make a fire. ”

The monk realized that he was out of shape, and he was busy collecting his thoughts, and looked down at the fire. The two sat quietly for a long time, and there was nothing to say. At the bottom of their hearts, neither of them wanted to open their mouths to break the silence. As the fire grew, the monk slowly added branches one by one with his left hand, and gently flicked the flames with his right hand holding a thick branch. I'm afraid that the smoke of the fire will choke the girl next to me.

He has been wandering up and down for several years, suffering from ice and charcoal, and only knows whether he is warm or cold. At this time, although the stomach is empty, it is expected that it will be difficult to survive this winter. Under self-harm and self-pity, I didn't want this girl to suffer from loneliness. Even if he dies immediately, he has no regrets. The light smoke was faint, and the tears in the smoked eyes fell wildly, but he didn't feel a little ashamed, and he didn't intend to wipe them away. The firelight melted on his face, the tears shone brightly, and gradually dried, and it also gave birth to a dignified atmosphere.

Suddenly, the water vapor in the tank gurgled up, and the two looked at each other and avoided it. The girl took out a steamed bun from her bosom, handed it to him, and said, "The water is boiling, you eat this." The monk took it blankly, shook his head again, and replied, "What about you?" ”

The corners of the girl's mouth were raised, and a playful feeling appeared on her face, and she said, "As soon as I entered the town in the afternoon, I asked for two steamed buns, but it is not as difficult as you." I can only eat one. The monk's face showed a slight look of Hao Ran, and he smiled bitterly: "Two years ago, I could have been easier to please, but now the famine is more serious, and I have grown tall again, just..!" ”

The girl "sneered" and laughed, and her face was like a spring flower. The monk was embarrassed and couldn't help blushing. The girl smiled and said, "Eat quickly." The monk still shook his head, he was shy and did not dare to look at the girl directly. But at this time, there were words to cover up in his heart, and while looking at the girl carefully, he asked, "What?" How could you? ”

Although he said so much, the girl also understood, stuck out her tongue, and said with a wry smile: "I came to Jiulian Mountain to find a master, and I originally brought enough entanglements. But I can't think of it.. The Central Plains is already so ruined, and the alms are already clean on the way, so I have to ask for the road myself. ”

The monk said "hmm" and said, "You..!" But he could not speak. I want to praise her no, and I want to use my own difficulties in the past few years to guide her, but it is even more inconsistent. I had to bow my head dumbly. The girl raised her eyebrows and asked, "Don't you eat yet?" ”

The monk said "uh-huh" twice, and only twisted the steamed bun lightly with two fingers, not daring to hold it. Although she was already hungry, she thought, "If I eat, will she turn around and leave?" The girl would mistake his mind, thought for a moment, and said with a smile: "I am thirsty, can I ask you for a bowl of water?" ”

The monk woke up with an "oh", looked at the girl, and blurted out: "You... Where's your bowl? When the words came out, he was already scolding himself in his heart, and he was stunned on the spot. The girl pretended to be embarrassed and sighed: "That.. I'll ask you for another bowl. ”

The monk was embarrassed and did not dare to answer. I picked up the iron bowl on the ground and tried to wipe it, but I realized that there was not a clean cloth on my body. Hurriedly scooped half a bowl of water in the jar and swung it carefully, and then handed it over again. The girl took it, deliberately puffed out her cheeks, blew two breaths into the bowl, and said, "Now let's settle it, you can eat it quickly." ”

The monk nodded this time and said, "Okay!" "Twist the steamed buns and put them together at the mouth of the can. The winter night was cold, and the girl had put the steamed bun in her arms before, and the steamed bun was barely soft. At this time, it has been taken out for a while, and although it is next to the fire, the steamed bun has been frozen hard. Seeing him like this, the girl smiled faintly, turned her head sideways, and gently blew the hot water in the bowl.

The water in the jar was boiling, and in a moment the steamed buns were already moist. The monk took down the jar and broke the steamed bun in his hand into four pieces. Then I took two thick branches, soaked them in a jar, laid the steamed buns flat, and baked them on the fire.

After only a while, the steamed buns have gradually browned and fragrant. The girl looked at the monk in surprise, and there was a little amusement and admiration in her heart. She was not full, and she was tempted by this fragrance, so she couldn't help but be angry with herself, and she was a little annoyed by this monk.

The monk has taken back the branch and blew out the sparks on the branch. He was hungry at this time, and after waiting for this moment, he couldn't help but swallow a few mouthfuls of saliva again. When the steamed bun was a little cooler, he hurriedly took two slices and handed them to the girl, and the remaining two slices were already towards the mouth.

The girl took it with a wry smile, picked up a thinner one, and took a bite lightly. She hasn't tasted a mouthful, and the monk has two pieces in her stomach, staring down at the ground, and she doesn't look up for a long time, as if she is contempling... The corners of the girl's mouth pulled up and she wanted to laugh, and when she saw his embarrassment, she straightened her face again, handed over the other piece, and gently tapped him on the shoulder.

The monk raised his head and saw that the girl was frowning and glaring at him, but he did not speak. He took the steamed bun with a wry smile, his hunger subsided for a while, and he didn't dare to eat it too quickly. While taking a bite and chewing slowly, he looked at the girl's hand with his spare eyes. Seeing that her last bite had been stuffed, and the girl still had half a piece in her hand, she couldn't help but be annoyed.

At this moment, suddenly there was a sound outside the temple, and the two looked in amazement, and saw that a skinny wild dog had run into the temple gate and was looking at the two. The two looked at each other and couldn't help but look at each other, and the girl was already glaring at him and said, "Look at the trouble you caused, wouldn't it be good to eat it refreshingly?" You have to bake it to eat it. ”

The monk was embarrassed, so he had to turn his head sideways to avoid her eyes, looked at the wild dog, and suddenly froze. He said in a deep voice: "Give me the steamed bun in your hand." Although the girl didn't know why, she had already handed over the steamed bun in her hand.

The monk took the steamed bun and slowly retreated a few steps away from the fire. Squatting slightly, sluping in his mouth, he handed out the steamed bun with one hand and put it under his leg with the other. The wild dogs fluttered and shook off the snowflakes on their bodies, and ran up a few steps, making a gesture to eat, but then slid away in a circle.

Although the wild dog stared at the steamed bun in the monk's hand, he was not close for a while, only hesitating and repeating two steps away, extremely vigilant. The monk's mouth was still slurping, and it became softer and softer.

The girl's eyes widened, and she was puzzled for a moment. He secretly said in his heart: "If you take it and feed it and throw it on the ground, why bother..." Before he could change his mind, the wild dog had already approached the monk and was about to lower his head and bite it. At this moment, the monk also pulled out a rusty dagger from his leg and stabbed it at the wild dog.

The girl was taken aback, and a cold light was already emitted in her hand, and the dagger was interrupted with a "ding" sound. The monk snorted, and the wild dog had already bitten half of the steamed bun in his hand, and bit his hand as well, and he didn't stop, turning around and running out of the temple.

The monk gathered momentum, half of the dagger poked on the underground stone slab, and with a "snap" sound, his body fell to the ground. Both of them were stunned for a moment, the monk got up from the ground, looked at the half of the dagger in his hand, his face was surprised for a moment, he threw the dagger down, and silently walked to the fire and sat down.

The girl also understood at this time, and when she saw the blood on his hands, she couldn't help but be very sorry. She took out the hidden weapon, originally worried that the wild dog would hurt him. But when he saw that the monk was going to kill the wild dog, he didn't have time to think about it, but he broke the dagger in the monk's hand.

The two were silent for a moment, and the girl took out a Supa, and let out a soft "hey", asking him to stretch out his hand. He sat down in front of the fire, and the maiden tried to bandage him, but he couldn't. The monk glanced at her, his eyes were soft, but he smiled bitterly and shook his head. He only wiped his hand on his robe, looked outside the temple gate, and said astringently: "Unexpectedly, this snow will fall tonight." ”

Although his words were minimal, he could not hide his pathos. The girl suddenly remembered his words when he was begging, and her heart was also sour.

Since birth, this girl has been cared for by her elders and has never been in the world. She came east alone this time, and she was also worried when she heard that her master was injured, so she secretly ran out. Although she has suffered some dangers, she is beautiful and lovable. Even these days of begging are much easier, and there are very few times to speak. Her martial arts skills are not weak, and occasionally there are people with bad intentions, and they are also asking for hardships. How could she understand the misery of the world for a while? When he heard the monk begging loudly in the town, he had already decided to divide the steamed buns he had begged for before, so he followed the sound.

She has been worshiping Buddha since she was a child, and she heard the monk's shouting in the distance, and the dialect was not familiar, and she couldn't hear clearly. When he came to the woman's room, he couldn't help but laugh when he heard the fake monk's joke. Unexpectedly, I could see the next strange play. I couldn't help but sympathize, laugh, and curiosity in my heart, so I followed this fake monk to the broken temple.

She straightened her face, pulled the sleeves of the monk's robe, made him sit sideways, and tied his injured hand. Suddenly, I thought of the funny place, and I couldn't help but smile on my pretty face. He blurted out and asked, "If you don't want to starve to death, why do you want to starve to that woman?" She..? Although she tried her best, she couldn't ask. couldn't help blushing with shame, hiding his mouth and smiling, and hurriedly turned around and sat down, still the more he thought about it, the more funny he felt.

Although the monk can understand it, how can he answer it? Hehe laughed dryly twice, hiding his embarrassment a little. But it made the girl laugh again. He is not at war with heaven and man? It's just that I know in my heart that this promise is to survive, but it is difficult to have a future in this life, so I gritted my teeth and refused.

He has been ridiculed and scolded countless times in his life. But at this moment, seeing the girl's shoulder blades trembling slightly, she chuckled, but she didn't feel humiliated at all, and she was very comfortable. I secretly rejoiced in my heart: if I agreed, how could I meet you? If I can meet you, even if I really die tomorrow, I won't agree to her. ”

The dry temple is slightly on fire, and the red face is smiling. Although it was only for a short time, he was full of joy in his heart, and he only hoped that this moment would never go, even if he was hungry and cold, and unkempt.

I was wandering in my thoughts, and suddenly I heard it clearly, and there was a cry of joy from the bottom of the mountain..! Suddenly, the sound of snow treading was heard. This person came so quickly, the two looked at each other, and before they could reply, this person had already come to the temple entrance with the wind and snow. But he paused in front of the temple, only lowered his head and looked at his feet, and ran out again. exclaimed, "Grandma's, why did you run out again?" There is no fire in this temple... Is it? The regret in the words is beyond measure.

At this time, he had already run out of more than ten feet, and when he said the word "fire", he suddenly woke up and ran back again. When he entered the temple, he was trembling and blurted out, "What about the dog?" What about dogs? Why didn't you guys..? ”

As he spoke, he had already seen the outfits of the two of them. With a long sigh, he dropped the cloth bag from his shoulder. took the snowflakes on his body, but he was also wearing a monk's robe, but he was not a monk. The person who came sat on the bag, took off the felt hat on his head and patted it a few times, his head was far brighter than the fake monk next to him, showing that he was a "genuine" monk.

He slapped the snowflakes off his hat and rubbed his head a few more times before turning his hat back on. He said in a trembling voice: "Children of the rivers and lakes, don't be informal, let's get together with a fire." Said to bow his head and add the withered branches, but his mouth still didn't stop, and said: "Let's call Yan Xiao.., no, the poor monk's law number.. Empty. I don't know the names of the two high surnames, law.. Law number? ”

Where can the two of them speak? Just staring at this empty monk. Seeing that he had added fire to the fire and raised his head, the two of them saw his appearance clearly. Although he is also full of vegetables, he is extremely round, and he is only in his twenties. When he saw that they were only looking at him, he did not answer. After a while, he suddenly said: "Could it be that you are also fake?" No, it's fake? Then why did you let that dog go? (To be continued.) )