A winding path leads to a secluded place where a Zen room is surrounded by flowers and trees.
As the sun sets, strolling in the temple, listening to the deep and distant bell sounds, admiring the wintersweet flowers and plants transplanted by the monks, and digesting the excessive vegetarian food you have eaten, is a unique experience.
In the evening, all the pilgrims and tourists who had stayed in the temple had settled down. Zhu Ping'an walked back to the yard and saw the family living next door to him. They were a merchant family named Wang, and they lived in two houses.
I don’t know if it was due to the monk’s negligence or something, but the two houses rented by the Wang family happened to be next to Zhu Ping’an’s, and were separated by the room where Zhu Ping’an lived. The room on the left was where the Wang family merchants and their wife lived, and the room on the right was where the Wang family girls rested.
The Wang family were all dressed well, wearing brocade and silk. Wang and his wife were about forty years old. When Zhu Ping'an arrived, they went up to talk to Zhu Ping'an.
The girl from the Wang family was about sixteen or seventeen years old. From a distance, she had an oval face and long thin eyebrows. She was quite pretty. However, when she saw Zhu Ping'an, who was dressed simply, her eyes rolled up slightly, as if she was a little disdainful.
"Sir, our family came here to worship Buddha and fulfill a vow. When we checked in, we miscommunicated with the monk in charge of reception in the temple, and we didn't expect that your room would be sandwiched in the middle. I wonder if you could do us a favor and change rooms so that our family can take care of us. Of course, I won't let you work in vain. This little thing is a token of respect."
As Merchant Wang said this, he stuffed one or two taels of silver into Zhu Ping'an's hand.
"It's vulgar to talk about money in this pure land of Buddhism. Changing rooms is just a piece of cake, so you don't have to be polite, uncle. Besides, I just want to take a break, I will leave tomorrow, and it doesn't matter where I rest." Zhu Ping'an smiled and put the silver back into the hands of Merchant Wang.
"Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, there will be a grand Dharma event at Longquan Temple. Why did you leave just after arriving?" Merchant Wang asked puzzledly.
"Oh, I'm going to the capital to take the exam, so I'm afraid I won't have the chance to see Buddha." Zhu Ping'an smiled slightly, opened the door, and prepared to move things.
"Could it be that you are going to the capital to take part in the imperial examination?"
Merchant Wang was very active in thinking. His eyes lit up when he heard this, and his attitude became much more enthusiastic. Merchants were the most well-informed and knowledgeable. The only exam to be held in the capital recently was the first imperial examination of this dynasty, and all the candidates were Juren.
"Well, let's go to the capital to see the world. Broaden my horizons." Zhu Ping'an replied casually while moving things out.
"Master, thank you so much for this time. Why don't we have a simple meal together tonight as a token of my gratitude to you."
After hearing what Zhu Ping'an said, Wang Shanghu's attitude instantly became much more friendly. He originally thought that Zhu Ping'an was a poor scholar who came here to play, but he didn't expect that he was a juren who was going to the capital to take the imperial examination. Such a young juren was a great potential stock. Wang Shanghu couldn't help but want to make friends with him and invited Zhu Ping'an to dinner.
"Thank you for your kindness, uncle, but I have already had dinner." Zhu Ping'an bowed and declined.
Zhu Ping'an had very few things, so he moved out in two moves. Wang Shanghu swapped his daughter's room with Zhu Ping'an's room, and they lived together, with Zhu Ping'an and Wang Shanghu's daughter's rooms being neighbors.
This is understandable. I guess Mr. and Mrs. Wang are doing some kind of exercise here at night, or maybe they came to the temple to pray for a child.
After changing rooms, Zhu Ping'an went into the room to clean up, and Wang Shanghu and his family also went into their room to clean up.
When Zhu Ping'an had packed up and went out to buy fodder for the Shamatte black horse, he found that the daughter of the Wang family was wearing a light green brocade leather jacket, standing at the door of her room, looking at him with a smile on her lips, her face lightly made up, there was a spring feeling in the corners of her eyebrows and eyes, and her watery eyes seemed to be able to drip water.
"Thank you very much for today. My family brought a pot and some beef and mutton for hot pot. Come and try it."
The daughter of the Wang family pursed her red lips and invited Zhu Pingan with a smile. While speaking, she leaned against the door frame and stretched out her jade-like slender hand, showing her long-developed figure, adding a bit of charm.
Well
This must be the legendary seduction.
"Thank you for your kindness, young lady. I have already had dinner. Please go and eat." Zhu Ping'an bowed and said lightly.
"I have eaten. You can eat some more."
The daughter of the Wang family looked at Zhu Ping'an, her cheeks flushed, and she spoke with her red lips pouted, acting like a little girl, her voice sweet and naive.
"Thank you for your kindness, young lady. I just ate too much in the dining hall. I have to go feed the horses. Excuse me."
Zhu Ping'an shook his head and refused again, then turned and walked towards the Shamatte dark horse.
This nerd is really unromantic!
The girl from the Wang family looked at Zhu Ping'an's back and stamped her feet slightly.
Just now in the house, Wang the merchant and his wife and daughter said that the young man next door was a juren, and that the young man was a juren at such a young age and had a bright future ahead of him. They hinted, intentionally or unintentionally, that they should make good friends with him.
The Wang family’s daughter kept it in mind.
The young man was a scholar at a young age. Although he was not handsome, he was honest and simple. He would definitely be considerate in the future. Moreover, although the young man was dressed simply, he was very clean, especially with a scholarly air, which was refreshing for the daughter of the Wang family, who had long left the money-grubbing and mercenary family.
As a result, the girl's heart was moved, which led to the scene just now.
Zhu Ping'an asked for fodder from the monk in charge of reception at the temple and fed the Shamatte black horse.
After feeding the Shamatte dark horse, Zhu Ping'an walked to the door of his room. When he was about to open the door, a red sachet fell from the sky and landed at Zhu Ping'an's feet with a click.
The door to the next room was half open, and the sound of embroidered shoes running backwards could be heard in the room.
Zhu Ping'an was a little amused and helpless about this. He bent down to pick up the sachet, gently placed it at the door of the next room, then went into his room and closed the door.
Seeing this, the daughter of the Wang family stamped her feet in anger again. Thinking that Zhu Ping'an was a nerd who didn't understand romance, she became even more interested and planned to secretly throw the sachet into Zhu Ping'an's room later.
When Zhu Ping'an was reading in the room with the oil lamp lit, he saw a figure walking outside the window. He knew at a glance that the figure was the daughter of the Wang family.
faint
Isn’t it said that the ancients were reserved and introverted
Then, Zhu Ping'an heard a slight movement at the door. Although it was very light, he could still hear it.
In the gap between the door and the ground, a sachet was slowly squeezing in from the outside. The gap in the door was too small, and the sachet could not squeeze in for a while.
I heard a murmur outside and the sachet was put away, as if it had given up.
But the next second, the sachet appeared again, and this time it went smoothly. The sachet came in all at once, followed by a chopstick. Uh, it turned out that the sachet was pushed in with chopsticks.
You are really persistent.
Zhu Pingan looked at the extra chopsticks and a sachet in the door and was immediately at a loss whether to laugh or cry. (To be continued.)