When the boat left Huai'an, it was already the end of March. Heavy rain was falling on the river. From afar, the foothills on both sides of the river were immersed in water vapor.
Crash~~
Rain poured on the deck. In the cabin, Hong Lian supported her chin, staring absentmindedly at the lead-blue rain curtain outside the window. In the quiet cabin, there was a slight rustling sound of the pen tip moving across the rice paper. The scholar raised the pen, dipped it on the inkstone, looked at the figure beside the bed, picked up the rice paper and blew away the ink that had not dried on it.
"Hong Lian, what are you looking at so intently?"
“No.” The woman propped up her chin, looked outside without blinking, and replied, “I finally got on the boat, but it’s raining so hard. I want to go out but I’m afraid others will see me. I’m not wet... ah... so boring, I might as well stay in the painting.”
Lu Liangsheng just smiled and said nothing. He looked at the figure sketched on the paper, took the brush and continued to outline the details of the terrain, adding the place names he had inquired about.
Since leaving Hangzhou, we have been on the route of the Grand Canal of the South built by Yang Guang in those years. On such a rainy day, the river channel is wide, and there are many boats passing by in the river channel of more than ten feet. When we meet familiar ones, we will greet the boatmen passing by on the opposite side on the deck.
In the past, there were many small docks on the flat terrain on both sides of the river, where many small boats were docked for families to eat. Extending upward, the outlines of villages and towns were outlined in the vast water vapor and unfolded in the field of vision.
The cabin's soundproofing was not very good, and the noisy conversations from next door could be heard. Hong Lian turned around sullenly, approached the scholar sitting at the small table over there, glanced at the outline drawn on the paper, and tilted her head.
"Sir, is this a map? Where is it from?"
"The Far West."
Lu Liangsheng relied on his memory to draw the places he had visited in the past one by one. Knowing that Hong Lian had never been there, he pointed to some places and talked about interesting things.
"This place... Back then, the Great Sage carried me here on a boat. When I got down here, it was full of black people. Except for their teeth and soles, there was no part of them that was not black. When it got dark, all I could see were shadows swaying, but no one. I guess the boat is still there."
“Is it really that dark?”
Even though she had heard it before, she still found it interesting after hearing it from Lu Liangsheng. She continued, pointing not far from where the scholar had just pointed, "I remember you said there were groups of horses with black and white stripes nearby, but they were a bit short and hard to ride."
"Yes, there are also wild beasts with very long necks. They can eat leaves from trees by standing on the ground without having to stand on tiptoe. Their bodies are spotted, somewhat like the fur of a leopard. It's a pity that they grow so big in vain, and they are vegetarians."
Talking about the journey to the West, it is naturally quite interesting, but the Toad Taoist in the bookshelf was not interested. The sound of the rain was mixed with the voices of men and women talking and laughing. He slept in the small compartment of the bookshelf covered with bedding, snoring slightly, scratching his belly occasionally, rubbing his flippers twice, turning over and continuing to sleep soundly.
Soon, we left Huai'an and entered the river sections of Dongping and Jiyin counties. It rained all night and then a morning of heavy rain before it stopped. The dark clouds dispersed, and the sun shone on the deck. The passengers who were hiding from the rain came out one after another, stood on the deck to bask in the sun, or got off the boat nearby and went to other places.
The boat set sail again. Lu Liangsheng walked around the boat. Most of the passengers stood together, some staring at the water in silence, while others chatted and laughed with their companions in low voices, attracting the attention of others.
After walking for a while, Lu Liangsheng asked Hong Lian to hide and play by herself. He leaned against the railing of the boat and picked up a book to read casually.
"My dear, please be careful when you are on a boat. If you encounter a reef or turbulent current, be careful not to fall into the water."
When Lu Liangsheng raised his head, he saw the boatman holding a gourd and taking a sip of wine, looking at him with a smile. He couldn't help but smile too and patted the fence.
"The boatman's boat is strong, so I'm not worried. Besides, this canal is wide. When it was built, I'm afraid all the reefs were moved away. There's no way I'd run into something like this."
"That's not certain. What if we run into a giant turtle somewhere and the boat capsizes?"
The boatman said this jokingly, looking at the river section, and said with a smile: "But you are telling the truth, young master. If your majesty hadn't built this river, there wouldn't be such a prosperous scene between the north and the south. There are hundreds of ships traveling through this canal every day. It is more comfortable than the land route and saves time. You can also make some money by picking up some passengers. Occasionally you can meet a woman from an unruly family. Hehe... This boat trip is worth it! Hiss~~ It's so cool."
The boatman touched the back of his neck and looked up at the sky. Lu Liangsheng standing beside him laughed dryly. In the scene that no one else could see, Hong Lian was standing next to the old man with a sinister look, surrounded by a sinister aura. He gave a look, and the woman left.
"Huh? Why isn't it cold again? It's such a sunny day. It's really strange. By the way, where are you going, sir? My boat is heading to Hejian County."
"Get off the boat at Sikouguan."
"Go to Wanfo Temple to worship Buddha? The scenery there is beautiful. Last year when I had some free time, I went to the temple to worship Buddha."
The conversation faded away as the boat went north. Two days later, after passing Wuyang County, the river boat stopped at the Sikouguan Wharf. Not only Lu Liangsheng, but also several traders took the old donkey from the bottom cabin, bowed to the boatman and said goodbye, pulling the reins to the southeast. They had been here two or three times before and were familiar with the route, so they did not ask others for information.
Dong~~
In the distance, there are rolling mountains lying like Buddhas, and the sound of bells echoes from the foothills. Across the river where egrets have flown, Lu Liangsheng leads his old donkey to the foot of the mountain. Amid the distant and heavy sound of the bells, burning incense curls around the mountainside, forming a thin layer of smoke. At the foot of the ancient temple, stalls are scattered on both sides of the blue brick path, and the shouts of the teahouse waiters are mixed with the noise.
“If you go up the mountain without knowing the preciousness of tea, you will just sit there and complain about being tired… If you pass by and drink tea before going up the mountain, the Buddha will even look at you twice.”
"Go up the mountain to pick up the goods, ten cents each, regardless of weight!"
"I don't charge a penny, I only pick ten times a day!"
Hearing the sudden sound, many tourists stopped the man and handed over the things they had brought up the mountain to him, which attracted shouts and curses from the porters.
"Do you understand the rules? If you don't charge us, how can we live?!"
"Why not just wait for him to come down and give him a good beating?"
There were also some older porters who interrupted them and waved their sticks.
"Hey, you guys just came here to ask for a living? That guy doesn't want a penny, and he has been picking up New Year's goods here for seven or eight years. The host who went up the mountain said that he was kind and did a good deed. You still want to beg for a living here, so shut up!"
On the winding stone steps, Lu Liangsheng heard a noisy movement below, and he turned around to look. A figure with things hanging on his body and hands walked up lightly. When he passed by, his eyes met Lu Liangsheng's. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly lowered his head and quickened his pace, causing the guests behind him to chase after him and shout.
"Wait a minute, don't walk so fast, you're trying to tire me to death!"
At this time, Hong Lian's words rang out from the bookshelf: "Sir, why don't you leave?"
"I'll go now."
Lu Liangsheng looked at the figure that had run away, replied with a smile, and continued to move forward, walking across the iron chain bridge hanging over the Ten Thousand Buddha Caves, on the gravel road, passing through the lush pine forests on both sides, and the temple with red walls and black tiles revealed its grandeur.
Smoke was curling up in the Buddhist temple. Outside the temple gate, where tourists were coming and going in an endless stream, a fat monk in green clothes was sweeping the fallen leaves on the stone steps with a broom. Lu Liangsheng walked over and bowed to him.
"My name is Lu Liangsheng. I don't know if Fajing Da..."
The monk raised his head, his round face and eyes squeezed into slits, which made Lu Liangsheng stunned for a moment and stopped talking. The fat monk let go of the broom and pointed it at himself.
"No, do you recognize me? Go over there and sit down while I sweep. I'll talk to you after I'm done."
Well…
Lu Liangsheng took a closer look and found that, apart from a slight old look, it really was Monk Fajing. He led the old donkey to sit on the stone bench under the old pine tree. Looking at the fat body and the tightly stretched monk robe, he could not help laughing.
"Master Fajing, how did you become the guest monk? And you said you ate too much and you are being kicked out of the temple to practice alone?"
The fat monk, who was already over fifty years old and had many wrinkles on his forehead, glanced at the scholar over there, stopped, and looked back while holding the broom.
"After twenty years of not seeing you, Master Lu has learned how to ridicule people."
The serious expression suddenly relaxed, a smile appeared on his face, and he burst into laughter. Over there, Lu Liangsheng also laughed out loud and extended his hand to invite the other party to come over and sit down.
Pilgrims came and went, and under the old pine tree in front of the mountain gate, the scholar and the fat monk sat opposite each other, looking naturally harmonious.