The weather was getting colder and colder, and the sun was not seen for several days, and the whole sky was overcast and a little empty.

Xin Zixuan took tonic medicine until she got on fire, and suddenly suffered from the wind in the middle of the night, alternating between hot and cold, and fell ill. Li Sijin couldn't stand it, and he didn't allow the kitchen to cook some messy Chinese medicine for his wife, and explained to Liu that Xin Zixuan was dragged down because he suffered hardships and had a miscarriage in Liangping, and he didn't want to return home and let his wife suffer.

Li Sijin's words made Xin Zixuan feel very moved, and even several unmarried girls in the second room were envious, and sighed that it would be good if they were so considerate in the future.

Half a month later, the Ling family finally received a letter from Li Xunzhuo, which wrote how beautiful Liangcheng was and how enthusiastic the people were. In a word, Liangcheng is a place that can be developed, although the transportation is not convenient, but the potential is great. It was the first time that he had been away from home for so long and so far away, so he couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic, so he told some daily trivialities, and made Ling so excited that he shed tears once and again.

Seeing that Ling Shi was about to take out his family letter to review at every turn, sometimes excited, sometimes sweet, and sometimes crying, the two girls couldn't help but whisper.

"What do you think A-Niang looks like this?"

"A young man who has been pregnant for many years finally met his lover, but he was disgusted by his family, and the lover went out to get the first pot of gold and told the woman who was about to come back to marry."

"Poofhahahaha! How does your brain turn, how do you get around such a long word? ”

Wanhua leaned forward and leaned back with a smile, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes while looking back at Ling. was said by Shaohua, it's really like! Since that long talk with Mama Rong, she has become a little silent, trying to learn how to understand what others don't say.

Looking at Ling's Chunguang's smug face, he said in his heart, it was still as happy and angry as Ling's, and he knew what she was thinking at a glance.

Suddenly, seeing someone in the courtyard talking to Lianxiang, just in front of Shaohua's eyes, Shaohua immediately jumped up excitedly, interrupting Ling's self-amusement, "Auntie, I accompanied my sister-in-law to the temple to offer incense, I already told you yesterday." Ling came back to his senses, looked at Hongling who was waiting at the door, and nodded. Are the three sisters going together? ”

Wanhua shook her head decisively, even if she was not hostile to Xin Zixuan, because of the relationship between the Liu family, she didn't have much affection, and she couldn't help but feel a little surprised that Shaohua was so intimate with her.

After resigning from his mother and sister, Shaohua suddenly returned to his usual liveliness, and followed Xin Zixuan all the way to sit in the car and chatter.

"I heard that you've been learning to be good lately, why didn't I see it?" Xin Zixuan looked at the girl beside her with a smile, and her smile was mixed with a hint of loss.

"It was at home, my sister-in-law didn't know, I hadn't been out for a long time. In the past, when I was in Pu'an, I used to go out to play. Shaohua hugged Xin Zixuan's arm and coquettishly, thinking of the freedom before, Shaohua felt that he was going to be suffocated.

"Naturally, the capital can't be compared with the countryside, and when I was a lady, I often went out with my sister." At the mention of Xin Zimo, Xin Zixuan's smile froze completely. Shaohua sighed, she didn't know how to explain it, every time she heard others lament her fragile and short life in front of her, she had the urge to cry without tears.

"Sell baked cakes!" A shout interrupted the silence in the carriage.

"Wait a minute!" Shaohua anxiously shouted for the carriage to stop, and ordered Hongling, "Hurry up!" Go buy some pancakes and come back. ”

Xin Zixuan looked at her curiously and asked, "Are you hungry so soon?" Can't you go back and buy it back home? ”

Shaohua shook his fingers solemnly, "It's different, it's cold when you buy it, you have to eat it while it's hot, anyway, let's hide in the carriage, no one will see it." Shaohua's sly smiling face made Xin Zixuan almost shake, and she hesitated for a long time until Hongling came back.

The carriage went all the way to the backyard of the Join Temple, and when he got out of the carriage, he was already introduced by the novices. Although the sign of Guoan Temple is spiritual, but after all, it is too far, and the general ladies and ladies like to come to the Jingyin Temple, one is that the distance is close, and the other is that the Guanyin here is very spiritual. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the pilgrims who come to Jingyin Temple are by no means less than those in Guoan Temple. In other words, more people who go to Guoan Temple are officials and nobles in Beijing, or they will go deliberately when they encounter major events, and ordinary people are willing to come to Jingyin Temple.

For this reason, the two sisters-in-law deliberately chose some inconspicuous clothes to try not to attract people's eyes.

"Sister-in-law, you go to worship, I'll go to the front hall to have a look." Without waiting for Xin Zixuan to stop him, Shaohua disappeared without a trace as soon as he slipped through the smoke, so frightened that Xin Zixuan hurriedly asked Hongling to catch up.

As the year approaches, the pilgrims in various temples are increasing more and more, seeking good weather and peace and prosperity in the coming year. Looking at the good men and women who came and went, their faces were unanimously pious, and in comparison, Shaohua's curiosity and idleness seemed more abrupt.

Every year in November, it is the busiest time for Joinji Temple. It's not because there are the cheapest and most delicious kidney bean rolls in the capital, it's not that the bean curd in Ping'an Tofu Factory has a tender and smooth taste, and it's not that there was once a famous Mrs. Lijun here. Originally, there were three birthdays of Guanyin on February 19, June 19 and September 19, and there were three days before and after, opening the shed to help the poor and giving good porridge. Later, the abbot was grateful for the compassion of Guanyin and saw that the sky was cold and the poor people were hungry and cold, so he added November 19, and it was two days before and after, a total of five days.

Unexpectedly, as soon as this good deed spread, many people had already come to pray for peace at the end of the year, and now it came even more. On the first day alone, hundreds of people gathered at the Jingyin Temple and rushed up. The 800 steamed buns originally prepared in the kitchen were snatched up after a while, some people grabbed a few, and some didn't have any of them.

It was a famine that year. Many people are reluctant to travel thousands of miles to Beijing, they are already hungry and cold, and they are even more crazy when they see porridge noodles.

The abbot was shocked when he heard the letter, and hurriedly asked his disciples to buy steamed buns on the nearby Xuanhe Street, and the white porridge was also mixed with water and half more. This was barely enough to survive the next day, but thinking that there would be more and more pilgrims in the next three days, even if everyone kept working, they would not be able to raise such a group of hungry wolves. The abbot urgently convened all the monks to study countermeasures, some said to persevere, promote the compassion and great love of Buddhism, and some thought that they could not eat enough, and it was themselves who had compassion for the suffering of others.

"This person's heart is like a bottomless pit, how to fill up dissatisfaction." An old man with a gray beard was half-leaning on the stone steps, dressed in shabby clothes but unexpectedly neat, if it weren't for the pair of straw sandals on his feet that pierced and exposed three dark toes, he would have thought that the old man was learning from the ancients. He sighed leisurely, picked up the big white steamed bun, opened his mouth and took a bite, squinting his eyes contentedly, as if he was tasting the best delicacies in the world.

The old man was surrounded by four or five children, all of whom were no more than ten years old, and they were better dressed than the old man, each holding a big white steamed bun in their hands, and they were listening to the old man talk about the ancient times with relish. Seeing that he was only concerned about eating steamed buns and didn't plan to speak, the children were anxious and urged repeatedly: "Later, later!" ”

"Don't worry, I haven't finished eating yet!" The old man slowly finished eating a big white steamed bun, glanced at the steamed buns in the children's hands, and saw that the children were vigilantly hiding the steamed buns in their arms, he laughed hehehe, "I'm hungry and don't have the strength to speak, if any of you give me the steamed buns, I'll continue." ”

Hearing the old man say this, the children hesitated, this steamed bun was finally queued up to get it, one person is just like this, it is rare to eat white flour steamed buns a few times a year, if you give it to yourself, you don't have to eat it. But the story of the old man is very exciting, this has just begun, and if he gives up, he is a little reluctant. Just when the children were hesitating between the story and the steamed buns, they suddenly stretched out a small hand and handed over a baked cake.

"Here you go, finish the story." The old man's eyes suddenly lit up when he saw the baked cake, and he was about to pounce on it, when the little hand suddenly withdrew. I only heard the light and pleasant voice sound again, "But I can only give you half, and I will give you the other half when you finish speaking." As he spoke, he tore the baked cake in half and handed half to the old man.

The old man's eyes darkened, and he complained "miser", but when he saw that the little hand was about to be recycled again, he hurriedly snatched the baked cake, "It's true, I bullied the old man at a young age, and if I grow up, I will have it!" As he spoke, the old man swallowed the pancakes in three or two strokes, burped indecently, and then said with a smile: "I haven't eaten pancakes with meat for a long time." ”

"Story!" Shaohua complained dissatisfiedly, and then shook half of the baked cake in his hand, and the old man pursed his lips, and it was better to continue: "This abbot has to say that he is a compassionate monk, and he takes those disciples who are willing to follow him to pray in front of the Buddha statue, begging God to save these poor people. ”

The old man had a special talent for storytelling, and when he reached the most critical moment, he stopped again, and looked at the half of the baked cake with blinking eyes.

Shaohua suddenly raised his mouth, picked up the baked cake and took a bite, turned around and was about to leave, so anxious that the old man hurriedly shouted: "Don't go, I haven't finished talking yet!" She stopped, turned slowly, and glanced at him.

The old man muttered helplessly: "Hell, I was actually played by a little baby like this." Seeing Shaohua turn around, he had no choice but to continue, "It is said that there is a cave in the back mountain, which enshrines a Buddha, who has never been seen by outsiders, and the Buddha has a kind face and is full of holy light, just like gold. Even the monks in the temple did not dare to come forward, and it is said that only the monks who have attained the Tao can worship in front of the Buddha. The abbot was kind in his heart, so he took his disciples to walk up with three steps and one knock, and nine steps and one bow. Before he came to the cave, he dimly saw the boy in front of the Bodhisattva come down and say to him, "Go back, the Buddha has his own holy grace." The old man's colorful description attracted many passers-by to stop, and he looked a little proud, and his expression was even more exaggerated.

When the abbot woke up, he found that he had been sent back to the meditation room and told his disciples about what he had seen in his dream, but no one believed him. Everyone thought that the abbot fainted in front of the cave because of his weak body, and he hallucinated. But it soon dawned...... And guess what? The old man's voice was suddenly lowered, and he swept around, and found that only Shaohua was expressionless, and everyone else was holding his breath, and he pouted and said, "After dawn, the miracle did not happen. Seeing that there were more and more people going up the mountain to eat porridge, the abbot was anxious, but the porridge pot had bottomed out, and those who did not receive it began to be restless, and they were about to make a fuss. At this moment, suddenly a lot of people came down the mountain, each carrying hundreds of steamed buns, a full twelve. When those people saw that there were white-flour steamed buns coming out, they all rushed up to grab them, but all the steamed buns that they grabbed turned into powder, and at this time, the boy that the abbot saw in his dream turned into a rich boy and walked out, and said to everyone: Those who see have a share, each person has one, and the greedy will be scattered, and the greedy will be broken. Before the old man finished speaking, he suddenly threw half a piece of baked cake in the air, he was stunned, and hurriedly shouted, "I haven't finished talking yet!" ”

"I'm done." As he spoke, the figure flashed into the crowd and lost its figure.

The old man was stunned for a moment, and wondered where this ghostly little baby came from. Before he could think about it, he listened to the constant urging of the people around him, glanced at the crowd, and then withdrew his gaze and continued to speak.