A brilliant ray of sunshine splashed on the side of the lawn. On top of large and small baskets, several tits chirped happily. When people came closer, they flew from one basket to another.
The sky is high and blue, with a few white clouds floating leisurely high in the sky. The sun was very hot and dazzling, and I couldn't feel a breath of wind, but I saw baskets of green snow pears dripping green, like ice creams placed there, adding a bit of coolness to Shuangfeng Mountain under the bright sun.
Under the bright sun, when nearly a thousand monks from Dongzen Temple gathered on one side of the lawn, an old monk with a silver beard floated over.
"Ah, Elder Huaqing!" Zhang Shaofei's heartstrings were suddenly plucked by a big invisible hand: In the past, when food was distributed in the temple, only the second senior brother Faru and the monk on duty were present. Why did Elder Hua Qing come to preside in person today? This is an abnormal sign.
On the back hill of Dongzen Temple, past the White Lotus Pond, there is a dense pear forest, which is almost half the mountain. Since the death of the Fifth Patriarch and the departure of the Sixth Patriarch, in the past few years, every time the weather is hot and green pears are hanging on the branches, Elder Huaqing will arrange for the monks to go to the back mountain to pick pears, and then distribute them to everyone. People taste it.
After Elder Huaqing came to the lawn, he turned his head and asked Faru: "Are everyone in the temple here?"
"We're all here," Fa Ru replied. He had already learned the number of people from the foreman of each group.
Elder Hua Qing waved his hand: "Now that everyone is here, let's start dividing the pears."
Fa Ru asked inquiringly: "How many per person?"
Elder Hua Qing: “Six.”
"Okay." Fa Ru turned around and loudly ordered the monk on duty, "Each person will be given six."
So the monk on duty carried the basket to the monks who were lined up and gave each of them six pears.
The pears in the back mountain are so attractive. The green skin is like a thin layer of emerald. When you bite into it, the pear juice is as sweet as honey. When you swallow it down your throat, it makes you feel breathless and infinitely sweet.
Today is another hot summer day, and the cicada lying on the tree cannot bear the raging heat and makes a loud noise.
The group of monks who were suffering from the intense heat were already salivating when they saw the green pears in the basket while lining up.
Now that the pears were distributed, everyone started chewing them. After a while, it was like plowing the garden and sweeping away the holes, and the wind blew away the clouds. If it were in the past, they would have eaten the pear core and threw it away. But today, all the monks bit the pear core, bit it again, ate it, and ate it again. They were not willing to stop until there were only six extremely small pear cores left in front of each of them.
This time, Elder Hua Qing sat under the shade of the dense bodhi tree and, like all the monks in the temple, ate all the six pears.
When Faru finished eating all his six pears, he couldn't help but feel suspicious: Originally, it was normal to divide the pears to eat, and it was done several times a year, but why did Elder Hua Qing pay so much attention to it this time?
Just when Fa Ru was confused, Elder Hua Qing suddenly stood up and said to Fa Ru: "Start ringing the bell."
"As the saying goes, there are morning bells and evening drums in the temple. Why did Elder Huaqing suddenly have the idea of ringing the bell at noon?" Faru felt that today's things were a bit strange, and asked Elder Huaqing, tilting his head. Who are you arranging to ring the clock?"
Elder Hua Qing stroked his long beard and said, "Everyone in the temple, whether they are monks or laypeople, old or young, must go to the bell tower and ring the bell six times each."
"Okay." Faru stood on the high platform and repeated Elder Hua Qing's words loudly.
After delivering the message, Fa Ru returned to Elder Hua Qing and asked, "Elder, who is the first to ring the bell?"
Elder Hua Qing said to Fa Ru with a solemn expression: "You are the second senior brother in the temple, so of course you should be the first to ring the bell!"
"Okay, okay, thank you Elder for your cultivation!" Faru was filled with joy. Elder Huaqing's arrangement was undoubtedly an announcement to all the monks in the temple that he was the first successor under Elder Huaqing.
The bell tower is next to the main hall, and the big bell hangs on the second floor.
"Come, I will lead you there." Elder Hua Qing walked at the front, followed by Fa Ru, followed by a long queue. Faru walked up the wooden stairs to the bell tower.
A large iron bell weighing several thousand kilograms was hung high on the beam of the bell tower. It was different from usual. This clock is at least five feet higher than before, and a person can't touch it with his hands even if he jumps up. The hard hammer made of komu was also missing.
Fa Ru looked around, searching with his eyes for a long time, and then asked Elder Hua Qing: "Elder, where is the bell hammer?"
Elder Hua Qing shook his head slightly: "I don't know either."
"How can you ring a bell without a hammer?" Faru spread his hands, looking helpless.
"If you can't knock it, just knock it!"
Faru said helplessly: "This..."
"Next one!" When Fa Ru was frustrated, Elder Hua Qing shouted in a slightly hoarse voice.
Following Faru was Zhida, who was also one of the top ten disciples of Dongzen Temple. He responded to the call and walked to the big bell.
Just like the waves in the river pushing back the waves in front, time waits for no one and force shows no mercy. If Fa Ru stops ringing the bell, it will be given to the next one.
The people behind him were about to come up, and Fa Ru was as deflated as if a ball had been punctured. He had no choice but to grimace and walk down the bell tower dejectedly.
Soon, Jingda and Zhida, who were full of hope, stood under the big clock, looked up, sighed, frowned like Faru, and walked down from the bell tower with a look of helplessness.
The other monks of Dongzen Temple walked up to the bell tower with excitement, but they walked down the other end with their heads lowered and disappointed.
The ancient bell, which had experienced hundreds of years, was hanging high, witnessing the dramatic scene happening below it, silently. The atmosphere was filled with tension or silence.
The long queue of monks was about to disappear. Elder Hua Qing looked up and saw Zhang Shaofei, who was pounding rice and grinding flour, standing silently at the end of the queue. His expression was so pious and confident.
It was Zhang Shaofei's turn. He turned his eyes to Elder Hua Qing and asked in a low voice: "Elder, are you ringing the bell six times?"
"Hmm." Elder Hua Qing nodded, "Can you ring the bell six times?"
Zhang Shaofei nodded: "Yes."
Elder Hua Qing: "Then just knock."
"Yes." Zhang Shaofei took something out of the pocket of his monk's robe and threw it, accurately hitting the big ancient bell hanging high in the bell tower.
"when!"
Then, Zhang Shaofei took out five more objects and threw them at the ancient clock.
"When-when-when-¬¬"
Six loud and long bells rang out from the bell tower, frightening the chirping cicadas away and the birds perched on the banyan tree.
All the monks in the temple were shocked: "Who can ring that ancient bell?"
Faru's heart was shocked: "Could this man be able to spread his wings and fly up to ring the bell?" He pushed aside the following crowds and rushed up to the bell tower, only to see six pears lying on the floor.
Those split pears, like open mouths, were mocking him, and Faru's heart felt like a needle pricking him.
Elder Hua Qing was standing aside, twirling his long beard and smiling at Zhang Shaofei.
The bells that were still echoing in the valley seemed to penetrate from the eardrums into Faru's internal organs, making him very uncomfortable.
In Faru's view, these are six simple bells? These are clearly the yellow bells and the thunder sound of the heavenly drums! This is a warning to himself to seize the throne of Huimen!
