She gasped for air, and the bed mat was wet with sweat. She covered her mouth for fear of waking up the master.
After that night, she continued to enjoy it night after night.
But she also felt a sense of guilt, because even if the master didn't teach her, she knew what it was.
Every woman will understand.
She began to resent her master. The master who had raised her for many years was about to ordain her and wanted her to be a bhikshuni who abided by the rules forever.
She wanted to shout that she didn't want it!
But she didn't dare, she didn't dare to disobey her master.
Because she is used to it.
After six nights of dreaming, she had fully experienced the pure joy of being a woman, and she hated the gray robe on her body more and more.
On the seventh day, Master Huiran went out.
Someone knocked gently on the nunnery door.
A young girl's voice sounded outside the door: "Is anyone there?"
Lian'er didn't open the door immediately. She hesitated for a moment, because except for people who came once a month to deliver food, there were very few people visiting on weekdays.
She opened the door anyway.
As soon as the door opened, the girl outside immediately took a few steps back in shock, covered her mouth and exclaimed: "Miss?!"
She was calling the lady behind her.
Lian'er also saw it. There was a woman standing behind the girl. Her hair was combed in a bride's style, she was wearing plain clothes, and she applied a thin layer of makeup. She looked at Lian'er with her eyes wide open.
That "young lady" looks exactly like her.
In front of the door of Wuchen Nunnery, a gentle breeze blew up, stirring up layers of dust.
※※※
"The poor nun came here to resolve a bad relationship."
Qingni's old voice sounded feeble, but was as deep as sea water.
Yunkong and Hongye looked at the old nun in disbelief. The old nun introduced himself as Qing Ni, which was the name You He whispered in his coma.
During the trip, Yunkong had never heard You He mention Qing Ni, but she had just heard her name being called, and she came.
Yun Kong asked carefully: "Does Master know Mr. You?"
"More than just acquaintance," Qingni said, "the poor nun came here to settle his worries, and also to settle my worries. If it hadn't been for this trip, the poor nun would have passed away long ago."
"Master..." the young bhikshuni accompanying him shouted worriedly, "don't get excited."
Qing Ni let out a long sigh.
"Taoist Priest," the young nun turned to Yunkong and said, "Master was about to sit down and die, but suddenly he felt that there were still unfinished business in the world of mortals, and he felt very confused, so he went down the mountain and looked around."
Yun Kong couldn't help but wonder, how could he happen to find this ruined temple in such a vast world?
Unless this green clay has some Taoism and can know the secrets of heaven.
"I'm so bold, I dare to ask what's wrong with Fanchen?"
Qing Ni sat close to You He and studied his face for a while, unable to help but be lost in thought.
The person in front of her was the person who had been missing her for sixty years.
"You He..." Qing Ni called his name softly.
You He opened his eyes, but couldn't speak.
"Listen... I want to tell you..." You He looked at Qing Ni's lips.
The lips have aged, and are surrounded by wrinkles. They are no longer as rosy and charming as they used to be. The words that come out are steady and compassionate, no longer whispering.
You He looked at her, his heart filled with satisfaction, and sleepiness came over him gently.
You He didn't listen to Qing Ni's next words. He was satisfied to be able to see the person he missed so much in the last moment of his life. He closed his eyes with satisfaction and gently exhaled his last breath.
Yun Kong's heart tightened and he wanted to step forward, but immediately stopped.
Qing Ni is still talking.
Qing Ni was lost in thought and spoke to You He quietly, seemingly not noticing the changes in You He.
"I am not your Lian'er..."
※※※
Qingni remembers the first time she saw Lian'er from Wuchen'an... She was also named Lian'er.
They have felt each other's presence since a long time.
All the things that happened made them wonder whether they had mental problems.
Lian'er, who works at Zheng's bakery, often sees Buddha statues appearing in front of her eyes, and often hears Buddhist chanting and sutra chanting in her ears. She also remembers that in her visions, there was a young man with a high-pitched voice who often spoke to her affectionately.
That day during the Lantern Festival, she unexpectedly saw the young man, and he even called her by her given name.
So she asked her mother.
When asked about the painful events of that year, my mother burst into tears.
"You are going to get married, so it's okay for my mother to tell you..."
After her marriage, on the day of her return to peace, she came to Wuchen Nunnery with her personal maid.
When the door of the nunnery opened, she took a deep breath.
It wasn't because she saw someone who looked exactly like her.
It was because she saw the common Buddha statue in hallucinations and the beams covered with spider silk.
She yearns for a pure and free life of practice and spends her days reciting sutras.
Lian'er from Wuchen'an had the same idea as her.
She didn't want to live a simple life anymore, and besides, whenever she thought of the man on top of her, her heart was filled with heat.
The two sisters entered the inner room and talked secretly for a while.
According to the agreement between the two, Lian'er returned to her parents' home and fell seriously ill. She was in a coma for several days.
These few days were enough for her to get to know everyone in the family.
A few days later, Wuchen Nunnery quietly held a hair loss ceremony.
Hui Ran was surprised. There was no rebellious feeling on Lian'er's face, no resistance, no trace of the green hair that fell to the ground, only a look of no regrets.
Hui Ran felt very pleased.
A long, long time later, Qing Ni heard the news that Lian'er had hanged herself for some unknown reason.
It was said that her husband's family was cruel to her.
In any case, Qing Ni has been chanting sutras for the deceased Lian Er for several years.
Later, it became a habit. For the rest of my life, I would never forget Lian'er's role every time I chanted sutras.
Years fly by.
When she was about to pass away in her old age, there were always obstacles, and then she remembered that she was missing someone.
That person's longing for her was too strong, and he was tied to her in a secret way, leaving her with a stubborn connection with the world.
Now, she can get her wish.
When she saw You He, she knew that he had fulfilled his wish.
For decades, every inch of my hair has become tangled like strands, becoming more and more tangled and messy.
Chaos did not go away with the loss of hair.
But he passed away.
Qing Ni lowered his head.
"Amitabha."
This was the last thought that echoed in her mind.
The young nun hid aside and cried softly, so as not to disturb the master's consciousness.
On the broken roof of the ruined temple, the dark clouds dispersed, and the moon cast a ray of light, shining on the sitting body of Qing Ni.
Yun Kong was so tired and sad.
The three people who were alive and the two people who were gradually stiffened all spent the night in silence.
In the fourth year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty, a turning point occurred.
The Jin State attacked Xianren Pass in Shaanxi Province of the Song Dynasty from Monk Yuan, west of Chang'an, but was defeated.
The Jin people's arrogance was frustrated, showing signs of peace talks four years later.
This incident spread to the ears of people all over the Southern Song Dynasty the following year, and there was a lot of discussion.
Someone joked: "After all, a bald visitor from the West is no match for Lao and Zhuang's disciples."
The news reached Cao Yuanzhi's ears, which made him sigh.
Recalling that many years ago, he opened a medicine shop in Hongqiao outside Dongshuimen, Kaifeng Prefecture, and he was very famous. When people mentioned Cao Yuanzhi, people knew that he sold medicine as "a child without deception, and the goods are genuine."
His credibility and honesty made his drug store popular, and he accumulated a lot of money within a few years.
Suddenly, the Jin attacked and the land was industrialized. The family packed up the soft and medicinal materials, especially the few precious ginseng branches, and fled south.
They settled in the south and opened a pharmacy.
Fortunately, most of the medicinal herbs come from the south. Now it is convenient to get the goods and the medicinal materials are easy to obtain.
Fortunately, he had brought those ginsengs. News from the north was cut off, and ginseng native to the north was even more difficult to find. He did not sell it easily, and found a few customers who could afford it, and finally stabilized the family's life.
When I heard about the defeat of the Jin people and recalled the turmoil of these years, I realized that life is indeed unpredictable.
After a few ups and downs, people get older.
That day I heard that the Jin people were defeated, and I started coughing at night.
"It's okay, it's just the wind and cold." He told his family.
I opened a medicine shop at home, and I knew a little about the properties of the medicine. I grabbed some medicine and took it, but it still didn't feel better. Instead, my cough became worse.
So he found Ma Langzhong, whom he knew well, and came to the medicine shop to see him.
As soon as the horseman arrived, he saw that Cao Yuanzhi was still wearing thick clothes on a hot day, his face was tired, and he kept coughing, so he thought: "It's Yin Sheng, Jin is weak..." He asked: "Is your body afraid of the cold?"
"People who are almost sixty have weak bones and are afraid of the cold."
While talking, the two walked to the small room at the back of the drug store, which was where Cao Yuanzhi usually rested when he was tired from looking at the store.
The apprentice brought tea, and the doctor began to consult Cao Yuanzhi.
"Hand." Ma Langzhong said.
Cao Yuanzhi stretched out his wrist to let him feel his pulse. Ma Langzhong then placed three fingers on the side of Cao Yuanzhi's wrist, slightly adjusting the three parts of Cun, Guan and Chi, sometimes pressing lightly and sometimes hard: "It's weird."
"how?"
"Twenty-eight pulse conditions, changing alternately, really chaotic."
Cao Yuanzhi was shocked: "Could it be that... my life is short?"
"Don't make such an assertion..." Ma Langzhong felt very confused and felt the pulse coming from his fingertips more carefully.
The apprentice in the pharmacy exited and took the place of the boss to greet the visitors outside.
The afternoon sun became stronger, and the sunlight quietly broke into the drug store, bringing vitality to the cool space.
