Volume 2 Chapter 18: The Lonely Temple at Sunset
"You have lived in Jinzhou since you were a child, and you came to Chang'an this time. In fact, these two places are both considered to be in the north. The weather in spring is like this. The spring breeze is chilly, and it is still dry and cold when it blows on your face, and it even cuts your face. It is different in the south. There is always a moist breath in the air. If you were in Hangzhou now, I am afraid that the flower season would have passed long ago."
Wan Xiu said in the carriage: "It turns out that the flowers in the south bloom so early."
Lin Jianlan said, "Well, when I was in Hangzhou, although I was only active in the main hall, our main hall was very large, like a small city. In early spring, when the trees were green, many trees in the hall were full of buds. Suddenly one day, they all bloomed, as if they had planned it out. There were clusters of flowers everywhere, and the fragrance was fragrant."
Wan Xiu said: "That's great, Mr. Lin, can you take me to the headquarters in the future? I haven't seen Boss Lin for a long time." His tone was full of envy.
Lin Jianlan laughed and said, "When you recover from your illness, you can go wherever you want. Do you still need me to take you? If you learn how to ride a horse, you can ride on it and you will reach Hangzhou in no time."
Wan Xiu said "Oh" softly, and Lin Jianlan continued, "Summer in the south is probably the most uncomfortable. It's extremely hot, humid and stuffy, but it's not as bad as in the north. But my place is not bad. I live in Uncle Qing's waterside pavilion, where it's a little cooler by the water. By the way, not far from the entrance of the Kuang Yi Gang is a huge lake. In summer, the lake is full of red and white lotus flowers. I haven't told you yet, I defeated a very powerful person on that floating bridge."
But Wan Xiu no longer answered. Lin Jianlan turned sideways and lifted a corner of the carriage curtain. He saw Wan Xiu had curled up in the carriage and fallen asleep with a smile on her lips. He hurriedly closed the curtain, concentrated on driving the carriage to avoid bumps, and slowly drove south.
In the past, when Lin Jianlan traveled long distances, he could always make do with anything, either with someone taking care of him or by himself. But this time, he had to take care of a sick and frail woman, and he felt a little unsure.
After driving for a long time, Lin Jianlan stopped the carriage near a tea shed on the roadside. He looked at the sky and saw that it was already past noon. It was lunchtime and the tea shed was already full of passers-by. Although there was only tea and simple tea eggs and buns to fill their stomachs, the aroma was so fragrant that he suddenly felt hungry. He jumped off the carriage and looked inside. He saw that Ah Xiu was still sleeping soundly, but he didn't know whether to wake Ah Xiu up. He just stood by the roadside, at a loss.
The midday sun was shining on Lin Jianlan's body. After a while, he was sweating slightly. He was already hungry. He thought to himself, "Although the food on the road is a bit rough, if I don't eat, I'm afraid my body can't stand it." Thinking of this, he was about to wake up Wan Xiu, but he saw a dozen monks walking slowly not far from the back of the car. The old monk in the lead seemed to have been seen somewhere before. When he came in front of him, he saw that he was wearing a wide robe with big sleeves and straw sandals. He was already quite old, with two gray eyebrows drooping, walking briskly, and looking calm. Lin Jianlan hurriedly stepped forward and said in surprise, "Grandpa! Do you still recognize me?"
The old monk was puzzled when he saw the young man suddenly blocking his way. A monk behind him jumped out and shouted, "Who are you? Don't be rude to Abbot Tanzong!" The monk already had a white beard and looked to be about sixty years old.
The old monk waved his hand and said, "Daoning, please leave. I have met this young man once before, and I don't want to meet him here by chance."
Lin Jianlan asked: "Does the abbot remember me?"
The old monk was the Shaolin abbot Tan Zong who had mediated the dispute between the Kuangyi Gang and Yunmeng Zhen that day. Seeing Lin Jianlan smiling, his eyes sparkling, and a long sword hanging from his waist, he looked like a young martial artist. He laughed and said, "Flowers bloom and fall, and years pass in a flash. I didn't expect that the young man back then is now walking alone in this martial arts world. Taoist Yun once told me that he saw you at the memorial service for the gang leader and praised you very much."
Hearing Tan Zong mention the memorial service for Nian Yongshou, Lin Jianlan felt a pang in his heart and bowed his head and said, "I really have too many shortcomings. Taoist Yun is praising me too much."
Tan Zong smiled and said, "You don't have to be obsessed with the titles of junior and abbot. You are still you and I am still the grandfather."
Lin Jianlan raised his head and smiled, "Since there is no need to be obsessed with the title, then the junior is me, and I am the junior. The abbot is the grandfather, and the grandfather is also the abbot."
Tanzong stroked his beard and laughed, "Good, good!"
The two of them were reminiscing about the past, but the monks behind them looked a little impatient. Lin Jianlan looked back and saw that the monks were dressed very neatly and elegantly, all wearing cassocks, and their faces were very solemn. Lin Jianlan knew that it was inconvenient to talk to Tanzong for too long, so he said, "Where did the abbot come from and why are you here? If there is something urgent, please don't let me delay you."
Tan Zong said: "It's okay, it's not urgent . They take it a little too seriously. Why are you here?"
Lin Jianlan blushed and said, "I was asked to take an elder's daughter to see a doctor. At noon, when it was time for lunch, I didn't want to stop here, but she fell asleep. I was afraid that her body couldn't stand it if I continued on the road, but I was afraid that the food here would be too rough if I asked her to wake up. So I didn't know what to do on the roadside. Alas, I am really useless."
Tan Zong smiled and said, "How can there be a perfect solution in this world? I have a way to make do. Please follow me for a while. I know there is a secluded temple ahead. When we get there, you can prepare some delicious vegetarian food for her, and she can rest there."
Lin Jianlan was delighted and was about to agree, but he saw the monks behind him looking at each other in bewilderment. Dao Ning said with embarrassment, "Abbot Tanzong, this is probably inappropriate. Since we have lives to live, it is really inconvenient for us to travel with others, let alone take him there."
Lin Jianlan was a little disappointed when he heard this, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt that it was inconvenient to disturb them. He clasped his fists and said, "Abbot, you have important things to do. Besides, she is a girl, so I'm afraid it will not be convenient for you monks to enter the temple."
Tanzong said, "No way. A monk should help others in every way. With me here, nothing will happen. Just follow me." He ignored the monks behind him and walked away.
Lin Jianlan had no choice but to get back on the carriage and follow the monks. He saw that they all had serious expressions, and the blindfolded old monk in the middle also looked strange. After walking for about half an hour, he saw a very small temple flashing out from the sparse woods. There was a plaque hanging on the wall with the three characters "Ci'en Temple" inscribed on it. The abbot of the temple was already wearing a cassock and was waiting in front of the door with a solemn expression. When he saw Tanzong and others, he clasped his hands together and bowed to each other.
Tanzong pointed his finger towards Lin Jianlan's carriage. The abbot looked surprised and embarrassed. When he heard Tanzong whispering in his ear, he turned around and gave a few instructions to the little monk, then walked into the temple with the monks.
The young monk came over and put his hands together and said, "Donor, please follow me."
Lin Jianlan jumped off the carriage, led the horse and slowly followed him into the temple. He went around to the west wing at the back and stopped the carriage. He heard the novice monk say, "Donor, please rest here. If you need anything, please go to the front yard to get it. There is a female donor here, so it is inconvenient for us monks to come in." After that, he hurried away.
Lin Jianlan pushed the door open and cleaned it up a bit. Seeing that it was already very clean, he turned back to the carriage, poked his head out and called softly, "A Xiu, A Xiu, wake up quickly."
Wan Xiufang moaned and rubbed her eyes. Seeing that Lin Jianlan had only his head tightly wrapped in the curtain to block the sunlight and blinked at her, she couldn't help but chuckle. She covered her body with black gauze and gently opened the curtain. She saw that there seemed to be a courtyard outside. It was very unfamiliar, so she asked, "Where is this?"
Lin Jianlan opened the curtain and helped Ah Xiu out of the car. Ah Xiu was frail, but he carried her into the house effortlessly. He turned around and hurriedly went to the car to get a pillow and put it under Ah Xiu's head. After he settled her down, he smiled and said, "Ah Xiu, you will never guess where this place is."
Wan Xiu asked, "Is it an inn?" Seeing Lin Jianlan pursed his lips and shook his head, he frowned and said, "I can't think of it, I won't guess anymore."
Lin Jianlan said, "You are so impatient. I met a very nice old abbot. I met him a few years ago. Thanks to him, we can come here to rest. This place used to be a temple." But Wan Xiu shrank inside and said in surprise, "Oh, I am so careless. The doors and windows of this room are not very tight. Ah Xiu, wait here for me. I will go and see if there is any shelter." After that, he hurried out the door.
When they arrived at the front yard, the monks they met on the road were already walking in groups of three or four from the dining hall. They must have finished their vegetarian meals. Tanzong and the abbot of the temple were walking towards the main hall. Lin Jianlan stood at the corner door of the back yard and looked around. He saw that they were dressed similarly and were in a hurry, but he didn't know which one was the monk of the temple. If he asked the abbot directly for the curtains to cover the doors and windows, it would be an exaggeration. He could only look around, hoping to meet one or two monks doing odd jobs.
He was getting anxious when he saw the young monk who had led the way carrying a plate of food and hurriedly walking towards another corner gate. He was delighted and hurriedly followed him, shouting, "Little Master, please stay!"
The novice monk seemed not to have heard anything and just walked with his head down. Lin Jianlan had no choice but to hurry up a few steps and catch up with him. He patted the novice monk on the shoulder. The novice monk must have been thinking about something and was really frightened. He let out an "ah" and shook the tray. A bowl of brown rice and a plate of vegetables on it immediately rolled to the ground and spread everywhere.
Lin Jianlan was also startled. He turned around from behind the young monk in astonishment and saw an old monk in the courtyard leaning on a cane and with three long white beards. He also turned around in shock at the sound of the bowls and plates breaking. The three of them stood in the courtyard in a daze. The young monk was shocked and angry, and kept saying, "Donor, you, you... Oh, I'm going to be punished again!"
Lin Jianlan felt very sorry. He squatted down and picked up the broken porcelain pieces one by one and said, "Little Master, I am really sorry. I was in a hurry, so I acted rashly. I will explain to you later. Please don't blame you, Master." Seeing that the little monk's face was slightly relieved, he said, "Little Master, the female donor in my car is very weak and cannot stand the sunlight. Does your temple have curtains or other things to cover it? Please collect some for me. The more the better."
The young monk had a very low status in the temple, and the abbot had told him that Lin Jianlan was also a distinguished guest, so even though he knocked over the dishes, he didn't dare to do anything. When he heard Lin Jianlan asking for something, he had to leave in a hurry to prepare.
Lin Jianlan took a few more steps forward, bowed his head to the frightened old monk, and said, "Elder, it is all because of my recklessness that I have delayed your meal. I will personally fetch it for you later."
However, he did not hear the old monk's reply for a long time. He was puzzled and looked up. He saw that the old monk was pale and his expression seemed shocked to the extreme. He looked as if he had seen a ghost when he saw Lin Jianlan.
Seeing Lin Jianlan raise his head, the old monk took several steps back, pointed at him with his skinny fingers shaking, and his lips trembling, but he still couldn't utter a word. His eyes were like a raging fire mixed with hatred, as if he wanted to tear Lin Jianlan into pieces.
Lin Jianlan was even more puzzled, thinking: "I just accidentally knocked over his lunch, why is he so angry? How could a monk get angry so easily?" He also thought that he was indeed in the wrong, and hurried to see if the curtains were ready, so he could only say: "Please calm down, elder, wait a moment and I will prepare the vegetarian meal and serve it to you personally." After saying that, he turned around and left in a hurry. Just as he reached the corner door, he heard the old monk utter a few words in a hoarse voice, as if they were squeezed out from his teeth:
"Lin...Lin...Xiao...Yu, you..."
When Lin Jianlan first heard the word "Lin", he was already surprised. When he heard the following words clearly, it was like a bolt whole body seemed to be shocked and unable to move. He also felt countless sweat dripping down his face. It seemed that he had used up all his strength to raise his hand, but when he wiped it, it was cold and there was nothing on his face.
Lin Jianlan turned around and felt that the afternoon sun was particularly dazzling. He felt a little dizzy. After adjusting a little, he saw that the old monk had fallen to the ground. Lin Jianlan was extremely panicked. He ran to the old monk in two or three steps. Seeing that his eyes were closed and his face was ashen, he hurriedly helped him up and shook him a few times, saying, "Elder, Elder!"
The old monk did not react at all. Lin Jianlan was so anxious that he broke out in a cold sweat. He was in a state of panic and shouted loudly, "Someone come, someone come!"
There was no sound around. Lin Jianlan hurriedly helped the old monk up, went out of the corner door, and walked towards the main hall. His legs were still trembling, and he was frightened and confused in his heart. He didn't dare to think too much, but he had to think too much. For a moment, he felt at a loss and helpless, and didn't know what to do. He just shouted all the way.
The young monk had just walked out of a lower room with a thick stack of curtains in his hand. He was shocked again when he saw this scene, and the curtains in his hands fell to the ground. The young monk didn't care, but ran quickly to the main hall. After a while, Tanzong and the abbot rushed out, followed by several monks of different ages, all with anxious looks on their faces, and surrounded Lin Jianlan in an instant.
