The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Even so, everyone did not want to leave. They just sat there and chatted with the people around them while eating melon seeds. It was as if they had really returned to the past. The people around them were not strangers living in steel and concrete jungles, but villagers from the same village. Big Brother Zhang, Auntie Li, the girl next door, young lad…

Amidst laughter, they abandoned all the facades and subconscious defenses in the city. They enjoyed this unadulterated, emotional exchange that could only be found in their childhood…

Unknowingly, the night passed just like that. When the sun rose and the first ray of sunlight shone on everyone, everyone realized that it was morning and they had woken up from their dreams…

At that instant, everyone felt fear.

Even though they were poor in the past, the sense of freedom and insouciance from the past left them nostalgic. They immersed themselves in these feelings and were unable to extricate themselves from them.

They did not want to wake up like this, nor did they want to walk into the office building. They didn’t want to wear masks while donning suits to spend their lives…

At this moment, someone suddenly said, “Dear villagers, how about we come and watch the show every day?”

These words seemed to have magical powers. Everyone subconsciously felt eager to answer, as though there was a penalty to answering late. They shouted, “Sure!”

Then, everyone laughed and left with their wives, children, and elders.

When they returned home, everyone looked at their phones and were dumbfounded. It was –29°C last night!

They spent the night outside without any protection!

No one suffered frostbite!

No one felt cold!

They only felt their hearts burning with passion. They only yearned for it to turn dark so that they could watch the show again.

The experienced actor, Grandpa Jiang, lay in bed, exhausted. However, he couldn’t close his mouth. Lying in bed, he mumbled, “How many years has it been? How many years… It’s been so many years, so, so many years…”

He fell into a deep sleep…

Tang Ze was exceptionally happy. As he walked, he sang Beijing opera, as if he had suddenly grown younger.

Tang Chen asked, “Master, why are you so happy?”

Tang Ze chuckled and said, “This is just like you people from the 80s hearing songs you heard when you were young. It’s full of memories. This Beijing opera represents an era, the youth of a generation, and the feeling of returning to the past… tsk… It’s beautiful.”

Tang Chen was speechless. He had experienced this feeling before too. Occasionally, he walked past familiar alleys and saw bits and pieces of the past. When he listened to the stories from yesteryear, his heart would feel warm and bitter. The memories of one’s youth could really take one back.

“Master, where should we go now?” Tang Chen asked.

Tang Ze said, “I’m tired, let’s go home.”

Tang Chen was surprised. “Aren’t you going to One Finger Monastery to ask for the tea?”

Tang Ze shook his head and said, “There are bound to be things in life that belong to you. There’s no need to force what’s not yours. Let nature take its course. Let’s go!”

As they spoke, the two of them had already gone far.

After everyone calmed down, they recalled that their goal for coming was to meet Fangzheng.

In the end, they didn’t even take a photo with him. They were occupied with just chatting… All of them were instantly frustrated.

At the same time, everyone realized that the dream last night had something to do with Fangzheng.

Perhaps the reason why no one felt cold the entire night had to do with him.

After all, only Fangzheng could do that.

Hence, many people in the group shouted, “Shall we head up to One Finger Monastery together?”

Everyone agreed in unison. After they agreed to go together on a weekend morning, they began their busy day.

Some were happy, some were sad, and some even wanted to cry.

Fangzheng was the first to leave. By the time the performance was over, he had already walked away with his disciples to One Finger Monastery. This time, he walked literally. This was because the pilot was laughing so much that he wasn’t fit for flying…

“Haha… Master, haha… Can I not laugh?” Salted Fish laughed as tears streamed down his face.

Red Boy laughed as well. “Master, this fake laughter is too awful… Haha… We know we are wrong. We will never do it again.”

Fangzheng shot a glance at the duo. Having watched them laugh awkwardly the entire night, he already found their laughter rather annoying.

Hence, Fangzheng nodded. “Since you know that you are at fault, stop. There’s no need to continue laughing.”

Red Boy and Salted Fish immediately shut up when they heard that. Then, they heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Salted Fish said, “Master, you might be unaware, but I was nearly cheated.”

Fangzheng grunted and asked, “Who cheated you?”

Salted Fish said, “Song Ming and that bunch of people! They were offering tens of thousands of yuan to buy the large bowl of water I brewed on the mountain. Thankfully, I was calm and composed back then. I wasn’t moved by them, so I shouted loudly that it wasn’t for sale and left. You don’t know how precious the tea on the mountain is…”

“Wait a moment. Are you referring to the bowl of water that you randomly brewed with the Frost Bamboo leaves? If I remember correctly, you had soaked it several times, right?” asked Fangzheng.

Salted Fish blushed. “It’s not that many times. It’s just three times. As you know, I’m too lazy to look for it. It just needs some taste.”

When Fangzheng heard that, he raised his hand and slapped him. “You fool. You brewed it thrice, making it worthless. They didn’t even despise the fact that you had drunk it with your fish mouth and were even willing to offer a price. Why didn’t you sell it? That’s tens of thousands of yuan! Do you really think money comes from the wind? Do you think it’s that easy to earn?

“When you return, you are grounded. Take time to reflect and come out when you figure it out!”

Salted Fish was stunned. “Master, what do you mean by figuring it out?”

Fangzheng stroked his chin and said, “When you think of a way to earn tens of thousands of yuan openly.”

Salted Fish hurriedly shouted. “Yes! Master, I heard from Patron Tang that our tea leaves are expensive! Half a kilogram can sell for hundreds of thousands of yuan! Let’s go home and pick tea. It will definitely earn us a lot!”

Fangzheng rubbed his ears and asked, “How much?”

Salted Fish said, “Hundreds of thousands! Senior Brother Jingxin can testify that Patron Tang said it himself.”

Red Boy said, “Yes, Master. Frost Bamboo is very valuable.”

Fangzheng rubbed his face and asked, “Are you sure that he was talking about half a kilogram, not a ton?”

Salted Fish shouted. “Master, although we are a little old, we have good ears. It’s definitely hundreds of thousands for half a kilogram, not for a ton. In short, we are going to be rich!”

Fangzheng subconsciously grinned when he heard that. He was rich! He was finally going to be out of poverty!

However, he had to maintain his master’s dignity in front of his two disciples, so he tried his best not to laugh too exaggeratedly.

Squirrel looked at Fangzheng and said, “Master, you can laugh if you want to. You look like you can’t hold your pee in any longer. It makes me want to pee too.”

Fangzheng raised his hand and smacked him. “What did you say?”