As a grass, Xu Chunniang tenaciously survived the autumn, but as the weather turned colder, life became more difficult.
After the first snow of winter, she was buried completely, without a single ray of light.
The cold, darkness and loneliness made her weaker day by day, and she couldn't even move a leaf.
Xu Chunniang vaguely realized that she was about to reach the end of her life.
The grass on the plain withers and grows again every year.
The power of a blade of grass is too weak. Even if it survives the autumn, it cannot compete with the heaven and earth. It can only grow and wither in accordance with the laws of nature.
It turned out that although her unwillingness and resistance allowed her to survive for some time, she was unable to escape the fate of being a plant.
More and more snow pressed down on Xu Chunniang. She crawled weakly on the ground, recalling the time when she was still a seed.
At that time, she was full of energy and striving to grow, never thinking that one day she would wither.
Now she is like a candle in the wind, and the flame of life will soon be extinguished.
Xu Chunniang suddenly understood that as a grass, life and death were things she had to experience.
Everything has a beginning and an end, life and death, these are the destiny.
The fate was determined when she was still a seed.
From birth to death, live towards death.
Death is never the end of life, but a new beginning.
Xu Chunniang spread out her leaves, waiting for death to come.
In the endless darkness, her consciousness was gradually annihilated...
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Chunniang woke up again. She stretched her body as usual and found that she had become a newborn fish.
She opened her mouth in surprise, and a small string of bubbles came out of her mouth.
In this life, she became a fish in water.
Looking around, there were hundreds of fish her size.
In my previous life, when I was a weed, I couldn’t move.
Now I have become a fish and can swim freely in the water. How happy I am.
Xu Chunniang swam with the school of fish, enjoying the freedom and new life. This fresh and wonderful experience was something she had never experienced when she was a weed.
However, the good times did not last long. A few days later, a big fish appeared.
The big fish just opened its mouth wide, and Xu Chunniang and hundreds of small fish around her unconsciously slid into its mouth.
Most of the fish fell into the big fish's stomach before they could react.
Xu Chunniang was frightened and kept wagging her tail, running away against the current.
But she tried her best, but she couldn't stop the big fish from sucking her food, and was washed into the big fish's mouth by the current...
After being eaten by the big fish, Xu Chunniang's consciousness fell into chaos again.
Until one day, she woke up again and found herself turned into a crab.
The experience of being eaten in her previous life still left her with lingering feelings.
In this life, she swam to the bottom of the water and used pliers to dig a small cave to shelter herself.
When hungry, it eats some aquatic plants. Before each meal, it carefully observes the surrounding environment.
Relying on caution and prudence, Xu Chunniang safely spent the three years as a crab and died of old age in her cave on an ordinary summer night.
Soon, Xu Chunniang welcomed her fourth life, fifth life... and finally, her ninth life.
In her last life, she finally transformed into a human.
Thinking back on her nine lifetimes, she felt deeply moved. It was really not easy along the way.
"Third sister, what are you daydreaming about again?"
A girl in a goose yellow shirt pushed her and chuckled with her hands covering her mouth.
"I heard that the future second brother-in-law is visiting in the hall. How about we go and take a look secretly to check for the second sister?"
Xu Chunniang shook her head. She was not interested in these.
"Do you believe in reincarnation?"
The girl held her forehead with her hand, looking speechless.
"Third sister, why are you talking about this again? There is no such thing as past lives or present lives. It's clearly something those bald asses made up to deceive people. Only you believe it."
Are these all lies? Why can she remember it so clearly, even the unwillingness in her first life and the fear when she was eaten in her second life, all of which she remembers clearly.
Seeing that Xu Chunniang remained silent, the girl pulled her again.
"Our second brother-in-law is of a very prominent status. What's more, he is also very talented. Aren't you curious?"
Xu Chunniang shook her head. "Go if you want to. I have to go out for something. If mother asks you later, just say I'm not feeling well and I'm resting in my room."
After saying that, she walked towards the side door.
Looking at her back, the girl stamped her feet in anger.
"Third sister, you sneaked out again. If mother finds out, I won't forgive you!"
Before she finished her words, her third sister had already walked away, and she was so angry that she rolled her eyes.
Xu Chunniang left the house through the side door, walked to the street, and hired a carriage.
An hour later, the carriage stopped at the gate of Puhua Temple.
After instructing the driver to wait for her there, Xu Chunniang got off the carriage and entered Puhua Temple.
After burning incense in the temple, she called to a monk nearby and asked, "Excuse me, little master, is Master Pushan in the temple?"
The monk returned the greeting and said, "Master Pushan is traveling around the world and his return date is uncertain."
Xu Chunniang felt a little disappointed. Master Pushan was a well-known and enlightened monk. This was her third time to visit Master Pushan at Puhua Temple, but she always came to nothing.
Could it be that she has no fate with Master Pushan
The monk put his hands together and chanted a Buddhist name, "Don't worry, donor. When the time is right, we will meet again."
Xu Chunniang left Puhua Temple and asked the coachman to go ahead while she followed slowly behind the carriage.
Subconsciously, she felt that Master Pushan, as a high-ranking monk, should be able to solve her confusion.
But Buddhism emphasizes fate, and three fruitless visits seemed like some kind of hint.
Halfway down the mountain, as it was getting dark, Xu Chunniang was about to get on the carriage when she suddenly saw a figure coming towards her.
The man was nearly 70 years old, wearing a half-worn cassock, and his eyes showed a sense of stability and composure that came from having experienced many vicissitudes of life.
When she saw this person, Xu Chunniang realized that the person in front of her was the Master Pushan she had been looking for.
She straightened her clothes, walked forward and bowed deeply, "Excuse me, is your master Master Pushan?"
Master Pushan shook his head and smiled, "I am Pushan, not a master.
Everyone calls me a master, but I just started practicing a little earlier than others."
"I have something that I don't understand, so I want to ask you, Master. I hope you can help me solve this puzzle."
"Amitabha, very good, very good, you can speak freely, I will tell you everything I know."
"What I want to ask is about my past life."
Xu Chunniang pondered for a moment and then told everything she could remember about her past life.
"The three lives of karma, the six realms of reincarnation, the fact that you can remember your past lives shows that the donor is a person of innate wisdom."
"But I can remember more than just my past life. This is my ninth life since I can remember."
"The ninth life?"
A flash of surprise appeared in Master Pushan's eyes, and then it turned into understanding.
"It is said that the ancient saints, after going through nine lifetimes of suffering and remaining determined, could achieve a holy body. Perhaps the female donor is also a practitioner."