On this day, Huineng came to Huaiji Yanyan, which is a large and very high cave, which is the only habitat of the Nanyang swiftlets to the mainland.

Every year, the swiftlets of the South Seas fly in and lay eggs on the top wall of the cave, so there are many bird's nests in the steep rock walls and stone crevices.

Some local villagers have ancestral skills, and they have extraordinary skills in climbing the cliffs, and they can climb the cliffs more than ten zhang high with their bare hands, and make a living by picking bird's nests.

Huineng passed by the village next to Yanyan and heard a lot of people crying in the house, and his curiosity drove him into the house to ask what was going on.

It turned out that the only son of the villager had eaten too much barbecue food a few days ago, so that he had a high fever for three days and three nights, his cheeks were red, and the corners of his forehead were terrifyingly hot.

After taking many doses of traditional Chinese medicine prescribed by Lang Zhong nearby, it was not effective, and he knelt on the ground and burned incense to pray to God and worship Buddha, but he did not see the Bodhisattva's manifestation. Seeing that his son's condition was gradually deteriorating, and his breath was dying and waiting for the arrival of death, the old husband and wife were helpless, and they couldn't help crying at home.

After Huineng learned about it, he inspected the old man's sick son, knew that his son was suffering from a fever, and after comforting the two old people with good words, he immediately went to the nearby mountains to collect the right Chinese herbs.

This time, the medicine stone was like a panacea, and the child only took three doses, and the high fever subsided, and he could get out of bed and walk around after taking three more doses. Seeing that their only son had escaped death, the two old men were in ecstasy and grateful to Huineng, and took out a few treasured bird's nests from the room and gave them to him.

Huineng said that the bird's nest was too precious and waved his hand and did not accept it, saying that he was strong and did not need to take such a supplement.

But the two old men stubbornly asked him to accept it, and said to him emotionally in turn, you saved my son's life, which is like a mountain. Although bird's nest is precious, how can it be as precious as my son's life? Moreover, these bird's nests are just local specialties that we have mined from the steep rock faces. If you don't take it, you're looking down on us countrymen. You can not take this tonic as a young person, but the old people in your family can take it.

The words of the two old men touched the affection of Hui Neng's family, her mother was old and frail, if she could eat this supplement, it should be of great benefit to her body, so under the other party's difficult hospitality, she had to accept these bird's nests.

After getting these bird's nests from the two old people, Huineng, who was hiding in the deep mountains and dense forests of Huaiji and Sihui, missed his mother even more.

Huineng took over the palm print Buddha lamp and became the sixth ancestor of Zen Buddhism in name. The people in the empty door should be empty; But after all, he is also a mortal of flesh and blood, shuttling back and forth in the deep mountains and dense forests of Huaiji and Sihui, and after several years of hiding, when he is free to practice Buddhism and Zen, he always thinks about his elderly mother here in Xinzhou.

Especially on the night of the full moon, on the high mountain, facing the bright moon on the vast sky, looking forward to the southern sky, towards his hometown, thinking of the mother who gave birth to him and raised him, and the Alan sister who has always been in love, he can't stop his thoughts and can't sleep at night.

The years pass quietly like the streams on the high mountains. In the blink of an eye, several years have passed, and now, in the dead of night, the words of the two old people are surging back to the bag of bird's nest......

The love of missing is the most tormenting, Huineng finally couldn't press the surging feelings of longing in his heart, and decided to go back to his hometown to visit his long-lost mother, so he carried a simple bag, quietly left Huaiji, Sihui, the place of meditation, Xiaoxing stayed overnight, and finally returned to Xialu Village, Xinzhou.

On the inky black sky, the clouds cover the moon, and the stars are dim.

There was not a trace of wind in the land of Xinzhou, and the surroundings were quiet, and occasionally a few frogs were called, breaking the silence of the night in the mountain village.

A vigorous figure, after coming down from Longshan, the cat lowered its waist, the rat leaped, and dissolved into the deep darkness like a fly, and it didn't take long for it to enter Xialu Village.

This mysterious night walker is Huineng.

The old love and old scene of Longshan are presented in front of him again, everything here is so familiar!

But "the flowers are similar every year, but the people are different every year." ”

Huineng knew that after he took the ancestral robe and fled south, the shadow with ulterior motives would never give up and would definitely come to chase and kill, so he hid in the dense forest of Longshan until the third watch, and then quietly entered the village from the back mountain.

The closer he got to his home, the more Huineng's heart was beating "pounding, pounding", the closer he was to home, the more timid he became!

It's been years since he left home, and he's afraid that when he knocks on the door at night, there will be no response inside. After all, my mother was already old and weak at the time of separation! So, when he knocked on the door, his raised hand trembled a little.

"Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha!" Shortly after three crisp, short knocks on the door, a faint echo came from inside: "Who?" ”

Huineng heard that this was the familiar voice of his mother, and the big stone that was pressed in his heart finally let go, put his mouth against the crack of the door, lowered his voice, and replied, "Mother, it's me." ”

Li was awakened in a daze by a knock on the door, and his son's voice was the most familiar to his mother.

Her heart twitched violently, and she hurriedly got up from the bed, rubbed her worried eyes, not knowing whether it was a dream or a dream, and then asked at the door, "Who?" ”

The answer outside the door was still so soft, but it was so crisp: "Mother, it's me." ”

Mother and son are in love!

"Ah, yes!" When Li heard this, he was overjoyed and wanted to get out of bed, but a few days ago, when he went up the mountain to cut firewood and grass, he accidentally broke his left ankle, and it was inconvenient to move. Now in the middle of the night, suddenly heard the voice of his son who worries about his stomach every day, Li Shi desperately, picked up the crutches resting on the bedside, got off the ground, supported his sick body, trembled and touched the door, opened the upper and lower door latches, and pulled the two doors in.

The gate opened, and against the backdrop of the dark sky, standing at the gate was his son Huineng, who had been thinking about it day and night.

"Ah, Neng'er, you're finally back!" Before Li could light the oil lamp, he threw away the crutches in his hand, rushed forward, hugged Huineng tightly in his arms, and said to himself: "I'm not dreaming, right? ”

Hui Neng said sincerely: "Mother, we are not dreaming, I am indeed back." In the past few years, I have missed your old man very much! ”

Looking forward to it day and night, tonight I finally saw my son's side, Li Shi caressed Huineng's head with trembling hands, and muttered to himself: "That's good, this is good......" Two lines of old tears with mixed joy and sorrow flowed down Huineng's shoulders and wet his clothes.

Huineng clearly felt: With the twitching of his mother's thin body, with a wave of heat, Bi Yi This is a rare reunion after the catastrophe in his life!

After the mother and son hugged passionately for a while, Huineng helped Li to the familiar big bamboo chair in the corner of the hall and sat her down, and then lit the oil lamp on the table.

Staying in the dense forest of Longshan and hiding in Tibet, nervous for most of the day, not drinking a drop of water, returning to the long-lost home, Huineng felt that his throat was as thirsty as fire, so he went to the big water tank in the kitchen to pick up the wooden shell, scooped up most of the shell water, raised his head, "grunt, grunt" and drank, and then returned to the hall.

Under the flickering light, Huineng looked at her mother and saw that she was much thinner than when she parted: her cheeks were sunken, but her stork bones were bulging. The wrinkles on his face were now more and deeper, his face was gray and yellow, and there were many more gray hairs hanging down from his forehead than he had been a few years ago.

Faced with his mother's aging and weak appearance, Huineng couldn't help but feel a burst of sour water in his heart, and couldn't help but say: "Mother, you have become more." ”

Li Shi rubbed his eyes in the twilight flowers, widened again, looked Huineng up and down, and muttered: "Neng'er, you are also thin and dark." ”

Huineng since leaving his mother, leaving his hometown of Xialu Village, embarking on the road of seeking Buddha, going through hardships and obstacles, to Hubei Huangmei Dongchan Temple, after the five ancestors Hongren taught the mantle, was chased and killed by the same people, fled south and hid in Huaiji, Sihui deep mountains and dense forests to practice hard cultivation, in just a few years, his life has experienced many ups and downs, ups and downs, and now he is still in danger of being chased and killed, exhausted, exhausted, naturally thin and dark.

Seeing her mother's sad look, Hui Neng forced a smile and comforted her, "Mother, don't worry, the dark clouds will eventually disperse, and everything will naturally get better in the future." Over the years since I left my hometown, I have seen the world more and matured more, and I feel more meaningful to be a person and do things. ”

There were occasional cries from night owls outside, and Li suddenly thought of the monks from the north two years earlier and some time ago, all with swords in their hands, who came to the house to search for her and ask her about Huineng's whereabouts......

Thinking of this, the muscles on Li's face trembled a few times, and he asked worriedly, "Neng'er, you didn't meet those monks from the north when you entered the village, did you?" I heard that they lived in the nearby Chengwei. ”

Huineng knew that those monks from the north had already laid a net, the corners of his mouth turned up, and he contemptuously: "They laid a pocket and wanted me to get in, but you have a good plan, I have a wall ladder." Didn't I come back from under their noses tonight?! ”

Li Shi was still reassured: "When you come back here, you have to be extra careful. You must know that you will encounter danger anytime and anywhere! ”

Huineng comforted: "Mother, don't worry, I have expected this for a long time." Today, when the sun set, I had returned to Longshan from other places, and I hid in the dense forest in the mountain until the third watch, and then quietly came in from the banana forest behind the village. ”

"That's good." Li Shi breathed a sigh of relief, pointed to the pair of chopsticks on the dining table, and said emotionally, "After you left, every day when you eat, I put the bowl you usually eat here, and then put the pair of chopsticks you usually use." That way, I feel like you're right next to me every time I eat. It's been like a few years! ”

"Ahh What is the true love in the world that is deeper and greater than maternal love? A craze rose in Huineng's heart, surging all over his body, he felt his throat itch, and his voice was a little choked, "Mother, I have been out for many years, why don't I miss you day and night?" I often feel uneasy and regretful that I can't do my filial piety in front of you. Mother, do you blame the child? ”

"No, no, how can I blame you." Li gently stroked Huineng's head and said, "Neng'er, since you left home, I have gradually figured it out. You stay at home and honor me alone, this is just a small filial piety. But if you can learn the Dharma and let the Buddha's light shine on the parents of the world, this is the great filial piety. ”

Huineng was very moved after hearing this: "It's rare for you to understand the righteousness so well. With your words, children can rest assured when they go out in this life. ”

Li Shi praised, "Neng'er, you are really my good son!" ”

Huineng suddenly thought of something and said, "Mother, I have something good to bring back to honor you." ”

Lee: "What good things will you have?" ”

Huineng untied the black bag on his body, put it on the table, and slowly opened it, in addition to a few simple clothes, there were more than a dozen golden oranges.

Li Shi was angry: "Ahem, I thought it was some kind of treasure thing, it turned out to be some oranges, sour and astringent." ”

"Mother, don't talk so much, let's taste it first." Hui Neng said, picked up an orange, peeled it quickly, and handed it to Li's mouth.

Li Shi bit down, and a clear sweetness like rock candy immediately overflowed in his mouth, chewed a few more times, and a smile appeared on his face, and he praised again and again: "Good, good!" This orange is really different from the oranges we usually eat. ”

Huineng pointed to the east: "This is a local product over there in Sihui - sand sugar oranges." ”

"Sand tangerine?" "No wonder I feel like I've eaten a sugar cube when I bite into it, I've never eaten such a sweet orange." ”

Huineng: "This time, I specially brought it back from Sihui for you to try." ”

Li Shi spoke with a little pity: "Just now you went into the kitchen to scoop water from a wooden shell and drank it, I think you are very thirsty." In that case, why don't you eat these oranges while you're hiding on Yongsan? ”

Huineng replied, "How thirsty I am, I endured it and passed." Mother, I want to leave more delicious things for you to eat! ”

Li praised him: "Neng'er, you really have the filial piety of A-Niang." ”

Hui Neng finished speaking, picked up a small paper bag from the baggage, and opened it carefully, "Mother, these are better treasures." ”

Li leaned down and lowered his head, and looked at it in the dim light: there were several ingot-shaped dimples, about two inches long and about an inch deep, with small falling corners at both ends.

Li had never seen such a novelty before, blinked his eyes, and asked, "Neng'er, what are these things?" ”

Huineng put his mouth to Li's ear: "This is bird's nest." ”

"Bird's nest?" Li Shi was touched by something, his relaxed brows furrowed again, and asked, "Are they those bird's nests that the landlord Lao Cai eats on weekdays?" ”

"Not bad. My mother was right this time. Huineng nodded and said, "I have heard that bird's nest has five major effects, such as nourishing yin, moisturizing irritability, invigorating qi, tonifying the middle, and nourishing the skin, and can treat lung yin deficiency, cough, night sweats, hemoptysis and other symptoms. Eating it on weekdays can strengthen your body. ”

"No wonder the landlord Lao Cai wants to eat it to replenish his body," Li Shi turned around and stared at Huineng, "Bird's nest is very valuable, how can you have the money to buy these things?" It couldn't have been stolen from the landlord's old man's house, right? ”

Although Li knew that her son had always been honest and would not do those things like chickens and dogs, she knew that bird's nest was an extremely valuable thing, and Huineng didn't have much money on him, so this thing must have a great origin, so she asked her son with a straight face.

"Mother, you have always taught children to be honest people, how could I do those bad things of stealing chickens and dogs?!" Huineng picked up the bird's nest and shook it, and his attitude was extremely serious when he spoke, "Bird's nest is indeed very precious. These bird's nests were given to me by the villagers over there in Huaiji. ”

"The villagers gave it to you?" Li still couldn't solve the doubts in his heart, "The countrymen are so poor that they can't take care of the next meal." Where will they have the money to buy bird's nest for you? Where in the world would there be such a big frog jumping all over the street? ”

"There is a swallow rock near my place of seclusion, which is the origin of bird's nests. Because I saved the life of the villager's son......" Huineng then asked Li about the origin of the bird's nest.

After listening to Hui Neng tell the origin of this bird's nest, Li's eyes overflowed with tears, took the bird's nest, and after a careful inspection, he said emotionally: "Neng'er, you have such filial piety, you are really my good son." ”

Hui Neng apologized: "Mother, after I left Longshan, you were the only one at home, although my uncle sometimes came to take care of you. But on weekdays, no one carries the burden for you, no one shushes you in front of you, and no one beats your waist and loosens your bones for you. Over the years, I've really hurt you. ”

Li Shi looked very bland: "I am destined to be cheap, and I will suffer from it all my life." ”

Between the mother and son talking, Huineng found that Li was tickling his body with his hands from time to time, leaned over, and asked with concern, "Mother, what's wrong with you?" ”

"I didn't ...... It's nothing ......" Although Li's mouth replied, the itching on her body could not be controlled for a while, and she involuntarily scratched the itch.

The flames of the oil lamp on the table were still flickering, and Hui Neng carefully inspected Li's skin at this time, and saw that there were many red spots of different sizes, high and low, so he pointed to her skin and asked, "Ah, mother, how did you make this happen?" ”

Li frowned: "I don't know what's going on. Ever since I went to Longshan that day to look for firewood and grass, I once got into a bush, and accidentally sprained my foot when I went down the mountain, and when I went to bed that night, I felt hot all over my body, and my skin was getting more and more itchy. ”

Huineng stretched out his left hand to the Li family: "Mother, I'll take the pulse for you." ”

Huineng is certain in saying this. Before he left Xialu Village, he had learned some knowledge of Chinese herbal medicine from Zhong Zhaoxiangbo, the old man in the village, and would pick some herbs when he went to Longshan to collect firewood. He went to Huangmei Dongchan Temple, and worked as a handyman in the temple of rice and vegetables in the north courtyard, although he only stayed for more than eight months, but the handyman who worked with him and lived in the same room was a senior brother surnamed Sun. This Senior Brother Sun is a native of Jingzhaohuayuan, the hometown of the medicine king Sun Simiao, and was a famous Langzhong in the countryside before becoming a monk, and he has studied the medicinal effects of various mountain herbs. Huineng and Senior Brother Sun were very compatible, they were together day and night, talking about everything, humbly asking Senior Brother Sun for advice, and learning a lot of knowledge about mountain herbs to cure diseases. This time, Huineng put what he learned to use.