Volume 2 Chapter 21: The Ties Are Unprovoked
Lin Jianlan looked up again and saw that Dazhi had a blank expression on his face, his lips slightly closed as he muttered scriptures, no longer looking at him, and he knew that he would not reveal another word.
He turned back silently. He knew that Dazhi didn't want him to blame himself for his father's past, but he still couldn't help hating him for not speaking clearly. Suddenly, he heard the old voice behind him saying, "The sword is a gentleman's weapon. Since the donor has taken the sword as his name, please reject the villain's behavior and don't forget the gentleman's righteousness."
After hearing these words, Lin Jianlan paused at the door for a moment before he opened it woodenly. Seeing that it was already sunset outside, he felt the air around him was extremely hot and stuffy, wrapping around him until he couldn't breathe. Thinking back to the words he had heard, although they were not spoken clearly, they were enough. They alluded to the fact that although his father had great ambitions and talents, he had gone astray and did things that made people extremely angry and despicable . Every word and every sound pierced his heart like a needle.
In the twilight, the sound of drums suddenly rang out from Ci'en Temple. Lin Jianlan felt as if he had been hit hard in the chest and abdomen. The dull pain was also like a stabbing pain as if thousands of arrows pierced his heart. His body tilted, and he slowly fell down holding the door frame. He saw Wu Chang's frightened face flash by, and he shouted something with his mouth grinning, and then he lost consciousness.
In the dimness, Lin Jianlan felt as if his whole body was burning in the fire. He vaguely saw Dazhi rolling in the fire, his eyes full of hatred, two skinny hands with fire rushed towards him, pinching his neck, suffocating and hot, and suddenly he felt that he didn't know why he hit the wall, and there was a burning pain. Looking down, it was Lei Kan who opened his mouth and screamed wildly. He couldn't hear the sound, and just wanted to hide backwards, but his whole body was already a sea of fire. In the drowsiness, he felt a burst of coldness from his forehead, saving him from this purgatory, and his mouth seemed to be emitting a spring of ice, with a little sweetness. The spring water flowed to his neck again, and it seemed that the flames were extinguished wherever it went.
He suddenly opened his eyes, but could see nothing. A cold, soft hand stroked his forehead, and he felt something cold against his lips. It was a spoon filled with water. Because Lin Jianlan's lips were tightly closed, only a few drops of water flowed into his mouth, and most of the water flowed along the corners of his mouth into his collar.
Lin Jianlan was silent for a moment, then moved slightly and whispered, "A Xiu?"
The person next to him moved uneasily and said with joy in his voice: "Mr. Lin, you didn't recognize the wrong person this time." Then he sobbed softly again.
Lin Jianlan knew that Wanxiu must be extremely anxious, so he sighed and said, "Ah Xiu, don't cry. Haven't I woken up? It's all because of me that you were worried. I was the one who brought you out to see the doctor, but now I have to trouble you to take care of me a second time."
Wan Xiu sniffed and said, "An old abbot sent you back. The rules in their temple are very strict. I can't go out to inquire. I don't know what happened. This is all I can do."
Lin Jianlan tried to stand up, but he felt very weak. Thinking of what Dazhi said before, he felt a pang of pain in his heart and asked, "Is it Abbot Tanzong?"
Wan Xiu said: "Others call him that. He is a very nice person. When he saw me like this, he felt my pulse and told me to have a good rest."
Walking to the door, Lin Jianlan gently pulled open the curtains and saw that it was already light outside. He turned back to light the oil lamp and saw that Wan Xiu looked haggard and there was some darkness around her eyes. He said apologetically, "Did you take care of me all night? You have always been weak, how could you bear to stay up all night like this?"
Wan Xiu was stunned for a moment, then gently wiped the edge of the bowl with her fingers and said with a smile, "I won't be in the way."
Lin Jianlan turned around and sat down. He really couldn't speak, but he felt suffocated and wanted to tell it all. After thinking for a while, he said, "A Xiu, you know that Uncle Qing is my adoptive father, right?"
Wan Xiu nodded, and he continued, "I have never mentioned my biological parents to you, because I have never seen my father. He left his hometown before I was born, and my mother left me and my grandmother to find him. There has been no news of them for more than ten years, and it is unknown whether they are dead or alive. But now I heard my father's name from an old monk in this temple."
Wan Xiu was very surprised and said with wide eyes: "No wonder you had such a strange expression at that time, it was really a coincidence." Seeing that Lin Jianlan's expression was extremely painful, he immediately closed his mouth and said no more.
Lin Jianlan said: "But, after talking with the old monk, it turns out that my father...he is not what I imagined. Ah Xiu, if the relative you have been looking for turns out to be a hateful and despicable person, what will you do?"
Wan Xiu was stunned and asked, "What on earth did your father do?"
Lin Jianlan shook his head and said, "Elder Dazhi refused to say, but from his tone, I also know that my father did something extremely unfair to him and implicated many other people. If it were you, would you still continue to look for him?"
Wan Xiu was silent for a while and said, "Mr. Lin, I am not you. I have been cared for and loved by my parents since I was a child. I can never understand your feelings, but I know that no parent in the world can abandon their children. He must have had his own reasons for doing anything. Why don't you ask clearly?"
Lin Jianlan hesitated for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "A Xiu, I don't dare to ask. Maybe my father really did something unforgivable. If that's the case, what should I do? At this point, it's better to just treat him as an ordinary farmer who died early. Maybe I can face it more calmly."
Wan Xiu said: "I don't understand. Of course, it's good. If I don't know, I will have fewer worries. But what about your mother? Are you not looking for her anymore?"
Lin Jianlan said, "My mother... Elder Dazhi said that he didn't know that my father had a wife, and he didn't know if she had found my father. She only nursed me until I was just weaned, and then she left home to look for my father. When I was a child, I resented her for being so cruel to me and my grandmother, but now that I have grown up, I don't know whether I should admire her for being so affectionate to my father. Alas, why are you crying?"
Wan Xiu gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "Mr. Lin, I saved you that day only because my parents did something bad to you, but you didn't care. You knew that my mother had some secret plan, but you still helped me in every way and brought me out for treatment. You are so kind-hearted, so naturally you can't accept what the elder said from the bottom of your heart. If today is over, it would be fine to forget it, but can you forget it? Instead of suffering from this unclear torture every day, it is better to find your parents and ask about the past. It will not be too late to talk about it then. You also told me that 'there are no parents who are not wrong in the world'. After all, they gave you a life, and..."
At this point Wan Xiu suddenly stopped, bit her lip, and continued: "Besides, if he is no longer in this world, you don't want to inquire further?"
Lin Jianlan was stunned. He listened to Dazhi's words and thought that his father might have relied on some unscrupulous means to enjoy fame and wealth, but he never thought that his father might not be alive. He thought to himself, "Yes, it's fine if others still hate him, but I have no right to hate him, so what's the point of saying forgiveness? Uncle Qing once said in a poem that the soul does not return at dusk. If my father has passed away, a lonely soul will wander in an unknown foreign land."
Thinking of this, Lin Jianlan felt very sad in his heart. He secretly said "forget it", having made a decision. He looked up and said, "A Xiu, I will go ask the elder again. He didn't tell me about the past because of my consideration. However, as a son, I can't be so confused. If I beg him again, he may tell me. You wait here for a moment." After that, he turned and left.
The main hall was not far from here. Walking on the road, although he had slept all night, Lin Jianlan still felt very tired and very hungry. Thinking of Wan Xiu waiting all night, he felt extremely guilty. He stepped out of the courtyard and heard the sound of morning classes coming from the side hall. There was no one around, only the rustling sound of cleaning at the door. Lin Jianlan stepped out of the door and looked carefully. The person cleaning was Wu Chang. He hurriedly asked, "Little Master, I have an urgent matter. Where is Elder Dazhi now?"
Wu Chang was stunned and said, "Donor, they had already set off yesterday."
Lin Jianlan was shocked and asked, "Yesterday? He left yesterday afternoon?" He thought to himself, "Could it be that Elder Dazhi really didn't want to reveal a single detail about what happened that day, so he left in such a hurry?"
Wu Chang smiled and said, "No, they left early yesterday morning."
Lin Jianlan cried out "Ah" and stood at the door for a long time. It turned out that he had fainted for a day and two nights. Wu Jianlan saw that his mouth was wide open and he was motionless. He touched him and said, "Are you feeling better, benefactor? After you fainted the day before yesterday, you had a fever and fell asleep. Thanks to your sister for taking care of you."
Lin Jianlan wondered, "My sister?"
Wu Chang said: "The female donor said she was your sister, and asked me to put the food on the windowsill outside the house. She..." Before he finished speaking, he saw Lin Jianlan running away, and in an instant he turned through the corner gate of the west courtyard and disappeared.
After calming down a little at the door, Lin Jianlan gently pushed the door open and saw Ah Xiu already fast asleep at the table. A strand of her hair was sweaty and was slowly sliding down from her forehead. The book that she never let go of was on her knees.
Lin Jianlan hurriedly stepped forward and took the book in his hands, but he felt familiar with it. There was no name He opened it and looked again, and was stunned. He had mixed feelings in his heart. He had repeatedly searched for this book among the books returned by Wan Xiu, but had never found it. He had given up, but now he saw it again. After removing the sparse and withered pear flowers, he looked carefully and saw a poem written on the page:
Send the Knight
I crossed the Baiyi River and watched the battle on the shore.
A startling shadow of a person pierces through the clouds diagonally.
I am fortunate to be invited to drink with you, and we chat and laugh about winning or losing.
I always have the ambition to be a knight-errant, and now I watch the knight-errant in action.
Without asking about reunion, I drink with regret in the long pavilion.
The handwriting was exactly the same as the poem on the inside of the book cover. It was the poetry collection that Lin Jianlan's father gave to his wife. It turned out to be in Wan Xiu's hands. Seeing that she couldn't put the book down, it was obvious that she loved it very much. Lin Jianlan gently put the book on the table, but saw Wan Xiu move, slowly raised her head, her eyes were still a little red and swollen, and looked at the poetry collection on the table. Suddenly, she became embarrassed and said, "Mr. Lin, I, I didn't mean to not return this book to you. Just read it for a few days."
Lin Jianlan gently stroked the cover of the poetry collection and said, "This is a gift from my father to my mother."
Wan Xiu said nervously, "I didn't know this was your parents' relic. I wonder if there is any damage."
Lin Jianlan shook his head gently and said, "Fortunately, you are keeping it for me. This collection of poems is in my hands. I read it every night, hoping to see the shadow of my father in it." After a pause, he continued, "Uncle Qing has read many books my father left in Liaodong. He told me that he was a man of great talent. Although he lived in seclusion in the countryside when he wrote this collection of poems, I can see that he had great ambitions."
Wan Xiu stammered, "He... also had deep feelings for your mother. Many of the poems here were written for her." After saying that, she lowered her head.
Lin Jianlan didn't notice that she looked a little shy. He just stared at the collection of poems blankly and said, "Yes, Elder Dazhi said that he deliberately concealed the fact that he had a family, so some people fell in love with him, but it seems that the flowers are interested, but the water is ruthless."
Wan Xiu was moved by the last sentence, thinking to herself, "Mr. Lin's father loves his mother so much, it's really enviable, but the woman who loves his father makes people feel sad for her. Flowers have feelings, but flowing water is ruthless. She is not the only one in the world..." While she was thinking, she heard Lin Jianlan say, "Ah Xiu, now that you are awake, your illness cannot be delayed here for too long. We should also set off. If you are tired, can you rest in the car?"
Wan Xiu was stunned and asked, "Are you leaving now? Did Master Lin ask that wise elder for clarification just now?"
Lin Jianlan smiled and scolded, "They've already left. You're really a fool. You've been waiting for two nights. What's the matter?" He packed up the things in the house and put them in the car. He then asked Wanxiu to cover her head and face, and gently carried her to the car. Just as he was about to lower the curtain, Wanxiu grabbed his sleeve and said, "Mr. Lin, if you send me to see a doctor, I won't be able to find the elder. If I lose their whereabouts, how can I find your father?"
Lin Jianlan said, "What's the big deal? I can find out where they are going by asking the monks in the temple. It won't be too late to go after I cure your illness." Then he took out something from his arms and said, "A Xiu, keep this for me. It will help you to relieve your boredom ."
The curtain was lowered, and Lin Jianlan called out a few times from outside. The carriage started moving slowly, and after a while it stopped again. He asked, "Little Master, do you know which temple Abbot Tanzong and his men are sending Elder Dazhi to stay?"
The monk said, "This... I don't know. Before the abbot left, he told everyone not to mention to outsiders even the fact that Elder Dazhi had practiced here for a year."
Hearing the voice, it was the monk who delivered food yesterday. Wan Xiu felt very guilty and quickly lifted the curtain of the carriage and said loudly: "Mr. Lin, ask this young monk which direction he is going. Let's chase him quickly, maybe we can catch up with him."
