Chapter 69 Chapter 69: The Sadness of Jingwu Temple

The closer to dusk, the darker the sky, sporadic snowflakes began to fall, and the air became more dry and hard.The cold wind blows on the face like a whip. Zhang Yaoye, who was walking in front, scolded: "Why is it so cold all of a sudden in such a horrible weather?" Zhang Ziheng and the few stupid boys who followed were too lazy to talk, they stamped their feet as they walked, and at the same time put their hands that were red from the cold to their mouths and breathed non-stop.Their hands and feet have been frozen and frozen. In the empty field, there were only Zhang Yaoye and his group of people, making this harsh winter look desolate and desolate.

The wheat in the field has just budded and leaves, growing in clusters, covered by light residual snow, as if dreaming a harsh dream in the cold winter.There were ridges and ridges in several fields, and the newly planted potatoes were buried in the soil, showing no signs of growth, and seemed to be lethargic. From a distance, Zhang Ziheng saw Zhang Zikun, who was dressed in dirty and ragged clothes, squatting alone under the eaves of the yard, looking at them coldly. Zhang Ziheng said to Master Zhang Yao in front, "Master Yao, Zikun is by the yard, why don't you invite him to go to Jingwu Temple with us?"

Master Zhang Yao also saw Zhang Zikun and shouted at him: "Zikun, what are you doing squatting there alone? Come with us quickly." Zhang Zikun didn't seem to hear Zhang Yaoye's words, and squatted there motionless like a mud bodhisattva. Master Zhang Yao said to himself: "I don't know what sinful virtues the Zhang family has accumulated in their previous life, and you will be such a lunatic!" As he said this, he wanted to turn around a narrow field ridge and call Zhang Zikun. Zhang Zikun saw that Master Zhang Yao was going to call him, but he stood up instead, and ran towards an alley in the yard.

Zhang Ziheng said: "Master Yao, forget it, he hid when he saw you, why did you call him?" Zhang Yaoye hummed resentfully, but turned around and walked towards Jingwu Temple again. But Zhang Ziheng said: "Master Yao, will this bastard take advantage of us to go to the Jingwu Temple to open that hole behind our backs?" "Which hole?" Master Zhang Yao turned his head and gave Zhang Ziheng a look. "The hole in Aunt Seven's woodshed." Zhang Ziheng said. Master Zhang Yao said to Zhang Ziheng in an evil voice: "I knew you couldn't hold things in your heart, so I shouldn't have said anything to you."

Zhang Ziheng was so reprimanded by Master Zhang Yao that he didn't dare to speak out, but his face showed a suppressed expression of unconvinced anger. A few bewildered boys heard something in Zhang Yaoye's words, and one of them asked: "Yaoye, what did you say to Fourth Dad?" Zhang Yaoye said to the stupid boy who asked the question angrily: "You shouldn't ask about things you shouldn't know. Talk too much." The stupid boy rolled his eyes in disbelief, but didn't say anything. There is a thin layer of mist on the halfway of Wo Niu Mountain, which is hazy and has the charm of light ink landscape.It is a pity that such a charm is a little more deserted and stagnant, and a little less elegant and agile.The vegetation on the mountain is very good, and the gray green hides the world in a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.

A narrow and winding stone-step mountain road leads to Jingwu Temple. In the ruined temple of Jingwu Temple, men, women and children from Woniu Village gathered in twos and threes.They seemed to have no desire to speak anymore, they were all silent, with weary and melancholy expressions on their faces, each thinking about their own concerns. Several people lit a fire in the main hall of the ruined temple to keep warm.Several children played peek-a-boo around the fire. In the pure and naive hearts of children, as long as day and night are still alternating, the world is always beautiful and happy.

But the grown-ups around the fire were frowning and full of worries.The world they have to face is an unclear future shrouded in thick haze.Their confusion comes from the real fear deep in their hearts.This kind of fear is slow and gradual, if there is no real truth... And more people stood on the steps outside the main hall, looking helplessly outside the mountain gate.They were even more looking forward to Zhang Yaoye and Zhang Ziheng returning to the ruined temple.They cannot do without these two backbones.Without these two people, everyone's heart would be empty, and there would be a feeling that they couldn't get real.This feeling gets stronger the closer to dusk.

The fifth aunt and seventh aunt and mother-in-law Yao seemed to have formed an alliance, and the three of them were always gathered together.Others who wanted to get close to them, and put a few words on them, would be persuaded by Fifth Aunt with a few words. Brother Xi, who was awake for a while and dazed for a while, began to lethargy again when he arrived at Jingwu Temple.At this moment, he was wrapped in a bed of old cotton wool, curled up in a Buddhist altar in the main hall, and fell asleep soundly. The altar used to hold a jade reclining Buddha, but the rebels smashed the jade Buddha and threw it into a deep well behind the temple, leaving the altar undestroyed in time, and now it happens to be Xi Ge's temporary sleeping bed.

Maybe it’s because the camphor wood shrine is too big and heavy, so it’s not easy to carry it; or maybe it’s because the people in Woniu Village still have a bit of reverence for Buddhist objects, so this shrine was not carried home in the end. As a cupboard or something. In fact, there is nothing in the whole hall except for this old and heavy camphor wood altar.The damaged roof began to leak rain, and there was still water on the potholed ground in the hall.The entire hall was gloomy and damp, with a musty smell that hadn't been popular for a long time. Waist-deep wormwood has grown on the empty dam outside the main hall, and there is a unique incense burning pavilion in the middle.The dragon heads on the four coiled dragon stone pillars supporting the Fenxiang Pavilion have been knocked beyond recognition by hard objects. Only the dragon's body is twisted and twisted around the stone pillars, as if it is still struggling to die.

The pavilion is still there, but the big iron censer was carried away during the steel smelting process and turned into molten iron, which turned into a pile of scrap steel. Even the big bell hanging under the eaves of the main hall was not spared. The wooden fish mallet that struck the bell still hung there, all alone and dusty. In the desolate empty dam, the mutilated remains of Buddha statues scattered in the grass covered by autumn frost and winter snow, there is a sense of tragedy that will never be restored. Finally, a group of Zhang Yaoye and Zhang Ziheng appeared outside the mountain gate.Immediately, someone stood up from the crowd of expectant people outside the hall and shouted, "Master Yao and the others are back."

The dead atmosphere in the ruined temple immediately became active.Someone ran up to meet Zhang Yaoye and the others like a hero returning from triumph. A group of people all looked tired and haggard, especially Zhang Yaoye, who had a gloomy face, deep and shallow wrinkles filled with a heavy and dull breath. Zhang Yaoye's suppressed emotions silenced the lively atmosphere that had just appeared.Everyone seemed to feel some kind of ominous omen. Granny Yao came up and asked worriedly: "Old man, why did you pull your face like a horse's face? What happened again?" Master Zhang Yao held his hands behind his back, and as he walked, he gave Granny Yao a cold look, and said, "You don't have to ask about the affairs of the man's family." He walked straight into the hall. Zhang Ziheng and the restless boys didn't dare to talk too much, they followed Zhang Yaoye silently. After entering the hall, the blazing fire had already warmed the empty hall.Zhang Ziheng and a few dumb boys came up to him in a few steps, and warmed up around the fire. Zhang Yaoye saw a person curled up in the altar sleeping soundly, turned his head and asked: "Who is so unruly? Curled up like a dog in there? This is an altar for Bodhisattvas, not a bed for the dead!" Granny Yao scolded Mr. Zhang Yao: "Old man, why don't you accumulate virtue in your mouth? It's brother Xi, who has been asleep for several hours." Master Zhang Yao said, "How can you put him in there to sleep? There was a Jade Bodhisattva there originally, and the old abbot of Jingwu Temple invited him back from Myanmar. Why are you so ignorant of the rules?" Grandma Yao said: "There is only one place in this house where people can sleep. It's already this time, so why pay attention to those things?" Zhang Yaoye gave Granny Yao a fierce look, and said: "You have to be careful at all times! I know the ins and outs of this shrine very well. Do you know why this shrine is the only one left in this ruined temple that hasn't been chopped into firewood? When the rebels in the brigade were smashing the Jade Bodhisattva in the Buddhist altar, there was a sudden thunderbolt, and even the roof of the main hall was punched by thunder, and the rebels were scared away." Zhang Ziheng, who was warming up by the fire, said at this time: "Master Yao, at this time, you should stop fooling the crowd, everyone is still afraid!" Master Zhang Yao said: "You idiots, don't think that I am setting up a mysterious dragon gate formation for you. What I said is true, so go and call me Brother Xi. You dare to go to sleep in the seat of the Bodhisattva, too Be bold!" Zhang Ziheng said again: "Master Yao, the Bodhisattva has been beaten to death long ago and thrown into the well. Where is the Bodhisattva?" Zhang Yaoye stared and said: "Even if there is no Bodhisattva, the seat should be reserved for him! Do you know when he will return?" Zhang Ziheng said angrily: "You should hang your 'duck floating water'! Old feudalism!" When Master Zhang Yao heard this, he became really angry immediately, and stared at Zhang Ziheng with bloodshot eyes, "How dare you say that again?" Zhang Ziheng ignored Zhang Yaoye. Seeing Zhang Ziheng ignoring him, Zhang Yaoye felt despised, and said angrily: "The wings have grown hard, and I don't listen to anything I say." Zhang Ziheng wanted to reply again, but Aunt Fifth pulled Zhang Ziheng aside. Zhang Yaoye shouted to the people around him again: "I told you to go and pull Xige up, but you didn't hear me? Did you slap the mosquito with your ears?" At this time, the fifth aunt said quickly: "I'll go, I'll go." Then she went to Laxi and got up. Grandma Yao said to Mr. Zhang Yao: "Dead man, what is wrong with you? As soon as you come in, you scold this and that." Master Zhang Yao grumpily said to Granny Yao: "My heart is not going well these days, you better not make me angry!" Seeing that Mr. Zhang Yao was getting more and more energetic, trying to catch someone and scold him, Zhang Ziheng finally couldn't bear it anymore, and said back, "Grandma Yao, don't pay attention to him, he is a cat-mad maniac!" When Master Zhang Yao heard this, he immediately rushed towards Zhang Ziheng, raising his foot to kick him.Zhang Ziheng dodged and yelled at Zhang Yaoye: "Yaoye, are you really unable to persuade me? Are you crazy?" Zhang Ziheng's words completely angered Zhang Yaoye, he turned around and searched for the belongings used to beat Zhang Ziheng violently in the hall. Zhang Ziheng was also irritated by Mr. Zhang Yao. He bowed and held a big pebble in his hand, handed it to Mr. Zhang, and said, "Mr. Yao, don't look for it anymore. Come on, just use this to hit my head." Damn it, if I move, I'm a turtle son!" Master Zhang Yao was stunned instead, he stayed where he was, and looked at Zhang Ziheng. Zhang Ziheng's eye circles turned red, tears rolled in his eyes, and finally he couldn't hold back, sobbing in a hoarse voice. No one thought that a seven-foot-long man would suddenly burst into tears in front of so many people, and he was completely dumbfounded for a while. Granny Yao became even more flustered, went up and patted Zhang Ziheng's back hard, and said, "Ziheng, what happened to you today? One went crazy and the other cried when you came back." Zhang Ziheng's heart was already fragile to the extreme, so he simply squatted down, crying even more sadly, sobbing and saying, "Master Yao, he can't find a place to vent his anger, and he will vent all his anger on me, and I will become his." Punching bag, woo woo..." Master Zhang Yao didn't expect that Zhang Ziheng would suddenly lose control of his emotions, and he stood there like a fool, losing his temper at all. Yaopo said to Zhang Ziheng as if coaxing a child: "Don't cry, Ziheng, you know that your Yaoye is that dog-tempered, once you lose your temper, nothing will happen. Your Yaopo He's had enough of it. Stop crying..." The atmosphere in the hall was disturbed like this, and it became a bit solemn.