It is said that warriors are ruthless and kill without blinking an eye. Although the general is a fierce warrior, he also has unusually tender emotions - he loves his daughter especially.
It turned out that he had one wife and three concubines. Perhaps because his yang energy was so strong, the babies he gave birth to were all male, regardless of whether they were the first wife or the second wife. Therefore, he is often depressed and depressed, hoping that his wives can give him a daughter.
As God wishes, his beloved fourth wife had a very good belly, and she actually gave birth to a baby girl for him a few years ago.
This little girl is even more beautiful than the one in the painting, especially her big, watery eyes, which flicker and look like they can talk, attracting people's love and affection.
The town general was overjoyed, and naturally he loved his little daughter very much. Under his obedience, pampering, and indulgence, the little daughter gradually became stubborn and willful, unreasonable, and she would do whatever she wanted. , if they are slightly dissatisfied, they will cry and make a fuss, become arrogant, and seek death and life.
Instead of strict discipline, the town general always tried to find ways to satisfy her various unreasonable demands, so the little girl became more and more unreasonable.
Up to now, even the general had a headache, but there was nothing he could do.
The reason why his temper became more and more violent, and he was often irritable and angry for no reason, had a lot to do with his helplessness towards his daughter.
"The plum blossoms welcome the seasonal rain, and the vastness welcomes the late spring."
In the rainy season in Jiangnan, the rain is sometimes heavy and sometimes light, and it is always pouring. That afternoon, a heavy rain fell from the sky, and a lot of rainwater accumulated in the yard, forming a small pool.
The rainwater under the eaves hit the water surface, splashing into crystal clear and colorful small bubbles.
Some of them are big, some are small, they appear and die suddenly in the pool, drifting everywhere, it's really beautiful to see.
After the town general's precious daughter saw it, she loved it very much.
She suddenly had a whim and said to her father: "If these blisters were worn into a necklace, they would be very beautiful. Daddy, please wear one for me quickly."
The town general said: "These blisters cannot be picked up and will break when touched. How can they be worn into a necklace? My dear, there are all kinds of crystal necklaces in the jewelry store. Can I buy you a bunch?"
"No, no, no!" The little girl seemed to have been greatly wronged, and her tears fell like broken beads.
She cried heartbrokenly and said, "I knew I was not your biological daughter, so you always fooled me. I just like the necklace made of blisters. If I can't get it, I'll die! If It gets dark and you still haven’t dressed me properly, so I’m going to jump into the county river!”
The town general loved his daughter deeply. When he heard that his daughter was going to commit suicide, he immediately panicked. He quickly sent soldiers to find all the skilled craftsmen in the city, and said to them: "You are all ingenious craftsmen with wonderful ideas and exquisite craftsmanship." With my craftsmanship, there is never a task that cannot be done, and there is nothing that is difficult for you. I invite you all here today because I want you to use these blisters to put on a necklace. My daughter will wear it soon."
The craftsmen all said that this was fanciful and impossible to accomplish.
The general thought that his stubborn daughter might commit suicide by jumping into the river, so he became furious and threatened the craftsmen: "This general only has one precious daughter. If she is not happy, none of you will have a good life! If my daughter has three advantages and two disadvantages, , I will chop off all your heads!"
In that turbulent era, the general with military power was often more cruel than the king, so his words were more effective than the imperial edict.
However, the craftsmen clearly knew that they were facing death threats, but they could not think of any way. They could only let others slaughter them and wait for the judgment of fate...
The sky is getting darker gradually, and when it gets dark, if the blister necklace can no longer be worn, the craftsmen will be dead...
At this time, Budai monk came to the door and said that he could wear it as a blister necklace. At this time, when the town general saw the Budai monk, he was no longer angry, but as if a drowning man saw a life-saving straw - God knows what tricks this mysterious monk has, maybe he can really wear a blister necklace Woolen cloth! He quickly asked: "Budai monk, can you really wear a necklace with water bubbles? Are you teasing Ben, Ben, Ben... the general again?"
The Budai monk chuckled and said, "When has the mountain monk ever said empty words? However, my craftsmanship is a huge secret, and I cannot let these craftsmen learn it secretly. Therefore, you have to drive them out of the house first."
The town general didn't know how to deal with these craftsmen. He suddenly encountered a stepping stone and quickly let the craftsmen out. When there were no other people in the courtyard, the town general said: "Master Bagi, please put it on quickly."
Budai said: "Since the necklace is what the lady wants, she should be satisfied to the maximum extent."
The general nodded and said, "Yes, yes. My daughter is the most difficult to deal with. If something goes wrong for a little bit, it will be endless, and she will be tormented by death and survival."
Budai monk said: "Then you can find her and let her personally supervise my production, so that it can be completely in line with her wishes."
The town general called his daughter out. Budai monk said to her: "Little girl, I know you are the smartest and most capable at a glance. Can you tell me why you want a blister necklace?"
The little girl said: "Because they are beautiful."
"Really?" Budai monk looked dull. He squinted and looked at the blisters on the water and said, "Oh, my old eyes are so dim that I can't tell which of these blisters are good-looking and which are ugly?"
The little girl giggled at his funny appearance and pointed at the big and bright blisters. But the Budai monk said: "Oh, why am I so stupid? I just can't tell the difference. Is this good? Little girl , you go and get those most beautiful nightgowns that you are most satisfied with, and I will wear the best necklace for you."
The little girl had already been praised by the Budai monk so much that she went into the water to pick out the biggest and most beautiful blisters. However, those blisters popped instantly and disappeared without a trace. The stubborn little girl refused to admit her failure and incompetence, so she kept thinking of ways and attempts to pick out those easily broken blisters...
She bent over for a long time, lowered her head, and stared. She was so tired that her whole body ached, but she couldn't catch a complete blister.
Gradually, she became tired of these blisters that appeared and died very quickly, and lost interest. Moreover, it was getting dark.
She said to her father: "These blisters are the most annoying. They can't be saved for a moment. I don't care about such false things!"
At this time, Budai monk said: "Yes, yes, the little girl said it so well. These blisters are meant to deceive people's eyes. They look tangible and qualitative, but they disappear as soon as they are formed. They are like patterns made of smoke and clouds in the sky. They are all formless illusions that mutate very quickly. If we humans also pursue such illusory things, we will only get disappointment and sadness in the end."
The little girl was very smart and immediately understood the true intention of the Budai monk and stopped playing haphazardly. However, she was a child at heart after all, her eyes flashed with dreamy colors, and she murmured: "Although it is unreal, those blisters are really beautiful."
The Budai monk nodded and said, "Actually, those bubbles are all water, and their brilliance is just the reflected skylight. If you really want a necklace made of water drops, I will make one for you."
The town general quickly said: "Master Butai, the child has stopped playing tricks, so please stop teasing her."
Budai monk said with a smile: "If the dream is not broken, the truth will not be revealed. Besides, I am a monk. I originally said that I would make a necklace of blisters for her. How can I lie? The younger the child, the harder it is to fool her!"
As he said that, the cloth bag monk took out a cloth bag - my God, why is it still the same cloth bag as the original one? The general couldn't believe his eyes.
The Budai monk took out an awl, a steel needle, and a long thread from his cloth bag.
The little girl became active and said, "Grandpa Monk, it's dark and I can't see. How can you pick up the blisters?"
The Budai monk pointed in the air and said, "Look, aren't those blisters coming down?"
Sure enough, some white things fell from the sky - hail particles as big as pearls. The Budai monk picked up some smooth round hailstones, pierced his eyes with an awl, and threaded them on, and as expected, they turned into a necklace.
He said: "The essence of blisters is water, and the nature of hail is also water. Therefore, there is no essential difference between the hail necklace and the blisters necklace. Little girl, give it to you."
Under the illumination of candles, the hail necklace sparkles crystal clear, reflecting a strange and psychedelic light. How beautiful it is, how beautiful it is. The little girl took it happily. However, when she put this extremely beautiful-looking necklace on her neck, she couldn't laugh no matter what - the hail necklace was not only cold and biting, but also melted very quickly, making her body wet. , how uncomfortable it is!
The little girl quickly took off the necklace and said, "Dare you, this thing can only be seen, not worn."
The Budai monk nodded and said, "It's not a necklace in the first place! Just like me, a monk, it would be nonsense if I had to replace a general like your father on the battlefield. Not only would I lose the battle, but I would also lose my life. , and it may also hurt innocent people and bring disaster to their families. This is the saying of staying in your position and making the best use of everything."
After saying that, Budai monk glanced at the general.
The town general was horrified! Because he heard the implicit message of Budai monk: the general's duty is to stabilize the country and resist foreign enemies, not to govern the people on behalf of local officials.
The Budai monk pointed to the hail necklace that was about to melt and said, "Look, it will eventually turn into water, and it will be most useful only when it returns to water."
After saying that, the Budai monk said goodbye to the general and his daughter, and walked into the vast night. In the distance, you could still hear his singing:
You laugh at me for not having it, and I laugh at you for having it.
When impermanence comes, everyone is empty-handed.
