The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Red Boy licked his lips, “Although the chickens are a bit thin, they will definitely taste good when stewed.”

He Ming was taken aback when he heard that. In contrast, the granny turned overjoyed, “Team Leader He, look. The child wants to eat it so no refusing. Yuxin, is this your child? Aiyah, he’s already so big? He’s so fair and adorable.

Yao Yuxin immediately blushed as she hurriedly clarified, “Auntie, it’s not my child. It’s that monk’s child.”

“Ah!? A monk can have children?” The granny was stunned.

Fangzheng was rendered speechless…

Upon hearing that, He Ming immediately said, “Auntie, it’s not the Venerable One’s child but his disciple. Look. We have a monk here. It’s not nice eating meat. If we anger Buddha, there might be even fewer instances of rain. That’s why, leave these chickens here at home for rearing. We can eat them again in the future when the opportunity arises, alright?”

The old granny looked at Fangzheng when she saw this and felt a little worried. Villagers were the most superstitious when it came to the supernatural. She nodded, “I see. You nearly gave me a fright. Heh heh. Alright, I’ll take care of them for for all of you a bit more. But you have to remember that these chickens now have the surname ‘He.’ If none of you eat it, I will just keep rearing them, and no one else will get to eat them!”

The granny gave an adamant look which made He Ming assure her that he would definitely come to eat the chickens in the future. Only then did the granny happily carry the chickens back.

When Village Chief Lei saw the two chickens depart, he sighed, “Auntie Hu’s two chickens are her treasures. She barred anyone from eating them. She really cares for you.”

What else could He Ming do except for smiling wryly?

Fangzheng saw this scene and also felt his heart warm up. His mood had improved quite significantly.

However, someone else was in a bad mood. Red Boy smacked his lips when he saw the chickens being taken away, “How foolish. To not eat chickens that have been sent to your mouth… Sigh.”

The moment he finished his sentence, Red Boy felt a sharp pair of eyes cast their gaze on him. He turned around and recalled that he was in Yao Yuxin’s embrace! Yao Yuxin’s thin face was livid as she snorted coldly, “It’s no wonder your master hits you. A child like you ought to be properly educated. Come, let’s go to the side and talk about this.”

Red Boy immediately had an ominous feeling. He finally knew where it came from when Yao Yuxin brought him to the side.

She said, “Do you know how poor this village is? Do you know how many chickens an elderly woman like her can rear in a village like this every year? Do you know $#…$…&&”

Ten minutes later.

“Yuxin, it’s mealtime!” Village Chief Lei shouted.

Red Boy felt as though he had seen hopes of being liberated. However, Yao Yuxin was having a great time delivering her tirade. She waved her hand and said domineeringly, “Village Chief, keep some food for me. I’ll eat once I’m done with our talk!”

Red Boy nearly burst into tears when he heard that. The woman had not shut her mouth the entire past ten minutes!

“Little guy, where were we? Oh right. I haven’t finished with the two chickens. Let’s talk about Auntie Hu’s family first. Auntie Hu’s health isn’t that well. Both her children have left the village for work. It can already be considered not bad if they can come back once a year. Her household has young children to take care of too. Sigh. Speaking of the children, look at them and then look at yourself @#$…%…”

Twenty minutes later.

“Yuxin, we are going to sing!”

Red Boy hurriedly said, “Shall we listen to the songs?”

Yao Yuxin pricked up her brows and glared at him, immediately rejecting his suggestion. She turned her head, “Go ahead and sing. I’ll come when I’m done. It’s almost done!”

Red Boy looked up at the sky. He regretted leaving the darn baldy’s embrace and entering what seemed like a noisy flock of ducks.

“We were talking about the children. Let’s talk about the village. This village is in the southwest @#%#…&&…”

Red Boy felt his head swell from the lecture. It was as though a hundred thousand flies were buzzing around his ears, but they could not be shooed away. Finally, Red Boy could not suppress his anger. He was about to blow up!

A white figure appeared between him and Yao Yuxin. Red Boy seemed to see the hope of liberation and suddenly exclaimed, “Master, I suddenly wish to listen to you preach the Dharma and scriptures.”

Yao Yuxin was stunned. Was the child trying to run? “Venerable One?”

Fangzheng smiled. “Female Patron, are you not done?”

“That’s right. I just got started.”

“No worries. There’s no hurry. It’s good that you are so experienced with educating children. Just continue. You can send him back whenever you are done.”

Yao Yuxin immediately beamed when she heard that. “Venerable One, you are truly reasonable. I apologize for what I previously said. This child is a good child, but he needs a lot of guidance.”

Red Boy wore a look of anger and despair. Just as he was about to retort, he heard Fangzheng chuckle, “My dear disciple, stay here and listen to her teachings. Remember, listen well, think about it, and memorize it. You will be tested on whatever you were taught today once we get back. You might not know yet that scripture recital inspirations are a result of my bad mood. When that happens… Amitabha. Well, you know.”

Red Boy looked at Fangzheng with teary eyes, “Master, I was at fault. Can’t you-”

“Amitabha. A fault confessed is half redressed. Be a good child and learn well. It’s time to listen to the songs.” With that said, Fangzheng turned and left.

Red Boy looked at Fangzheng’s departing back and felt the hope of being saved vanish. His heart winced as he wished to cry: ‘I want to go home!’

A beautiful but horrifying face appeared in front of him as Red Boy felt the world spin around him. He swore to have nothing with women in the future! It was too terrifying! She was more terrifying than the darn baldy!

Fangzheng turned around feeling satisfied when he saw Red Boy in pain. He chatted with Village Chief Lei, He Ming, and company. He also got to know the villagers and volunteers. The volunteers were truly talented. Some of them could sing, and their delivery of traditional mountain songs was loud and clear. The villagers gave their kudos and there were even some elderly people who came forward to dance and sing. The voices just kept increasing, making Fangzheng, who seldom listened to songs, enjoy the music.

The volunteers had a quiet youth named Du Tao. He stood quietly to the side, clapping his hands while watching the bustle. But when the next song played, his entire being was like a flaming wheel. Every joint on his body seemed to jerk with the music, leaving Fangzheng agape. He never imagined such dancing! How shocking!

Although the elderly were unable to appreciate it, they found the actions rather interesting. They also treated the volunteers as family or their own children. They naturally complimented them repeatedly no matter what they saw.

Finally, it was time for the grand finale. The airing of a movie! A volunteer had borrowed a projector and set up a screen with a cloth. Movies that the elders like, such as Tunnel War and Landmine Warfare , were played, delighting the elders.

From time to time, there would be some middle-aged men and women delivering grilled pumpkins to everyone. The pumpkin seeds were richly fragrant and as the fire crackled amid the moon that hung high in the sky, it was truly a harmonious night.