Linxia

Chapter 30, It’s sunny

"Your father caught a cold and had a fever, but luckily he was cured in time and a dose of herbal medicine was enough. Your mother had a stomachache and got a cold in the rain, which made it worse, so it's a bit troublesome."

The old monk Lianzhou hesitated and said with embarrassment: "My medical skills are not very good. I can only think of one method, which is to use herbs to induce purgation. However, this method is quite detrimental to the vitality. It requires tonic substances such as ginseng and deer antlers to replenish. But how can we get them so quickly in this wilderness?"

"Master, do you think this wild ginseng is suitable for use?" Fang Lin thought for a while and took out the wild ginseng given by the fourth room.

"This wild ginseng is about fifty years old, which is not bad. I didn't expect that the donor actually has such a thing." Old Monk Lianzhou looked at Fang Lin in surprise and nodded slightly.

Many people in the temple also saw the wild ginseng, but they looked away after just one glance - this was a killer who dared to kill people. It was just a fifty-year-old wild ginseng, not worth risking one's life for.

Hearing the affirmative answer, Fang Lin and Tian Xuan both breathed a sigh of relief and showed some joy on their faces.

Elder Monk Lianzhou knew how the two men felt, and he didn't keep them waiting for long. He immediately said, "In that case, let's start boiling the medicine!"

This person was a virtuous man. He did not ask for any reward. He took out the herbs he had picked and asked his disciple, Monk Jingwen, to control the heat and boil them himself.

"Master, why?" When the fire was burning, the young monk Jingwen finally couldn't help asking.

This statement was a bit confusing, but as a master, Old Monk Lianzhou naturally knew what he was asking.

Why didn't he come out when Fang Lin asked for the first time, violating the Buddhist principle of compassion? Why didn't he come out to cooperate without waiting for Fang Lin to say anything or promise conditions after being identified, without seeking any benefits? This contrast obviously confused the young disciple.

"At the beginning, I was afraid of trouble and didn't want to cause any trouble." Elder Monk Lianzhou admitted frankly: "As for being pointed out, I took the initiative to stand up..."

He looked at Fang Lin and said, "If I insist on not saving you, what will you do?"

"I will ask the master chef to help." Although Fang Lin has a cold temper, he has a bottom line. However, in extraordinary times and extraordinary situations, he will not care even if it violates his bottom line.

For example: If Monk Jingwen really insisted on not saving the person, he would definitely let the other party save him, even if he had to use extraordinary methods, such as putting a knife on the other party's neck.

After hearing this, the young monk Jingwen seemed to understand something.

Next to him, old monk Lianzhou saw this scene and nodded with a smile. He had talked about these principles before, but they were far less inspiring than the lesson he taught in reality.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be this saying: Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling a thousand miles.

At this time, the old monk Lianzhou looked at Fang Lin again and said, "I see that there seems to be some resentment in the donor's heart."

"Yes." Fang Lin did not hide it: "If the water is not level, it will flow; if the bell is not level, it will ring; if the leaves are not level, they will move; if people are not level, they will naturally cry! How can I let it go if my heart is not satisfied?"

Beside him, the young monk Jingwen raised his head, slightly surprised, surprised that this young farm boy had such knowledge and could say such words.

"I wanted to buy sweet-scented osmanthus and drink it with me, but it turned out to be different. I was a young man traveling."

Elder monk Lianzhou quoted this phrase, and sighed, "The greatest fortune in one's life is to have cherished people around you and the things you want at the right age. Otherwise, when things are no longer the same, even if you get some things, you will not be happy."

"Yes!" Fang Linshen agreed and asked, "Master, do you have any other advice?"

The change of the title from "Master Chef" to "Master" is obviously a recognition that Master Lianzhou has attained spiritual attainments.

The old monk Lianzhou shook his head gently: "There is a fierce tiger hidden in the heart of the donor, and he has built a fence for it. He follows his heart but does not go beyond the rules. His future is limitless. How can I teach him?"

This means that Fang Lin is decisive in killing, but he also has a bottom line. He sticks to his principles but is flexible. There is nothing much to teach him.

"Thank you for your kind words. If that day really comes, I will never forget your kindness today." Fang Lin said seriously.

Old Monk Lianzhou smiled slightly and did not take it to heart. They were just passing by each other as master and disciple, and they would probably never meet again in their lives - but who could be sure of anything in this world?

"Brother Lin just talked to the master chef, and he was different from usual, like a scholar." Tian Xuan thought to herself, feeling that there were many mysteries hidden in it, and she might not understand all of it. She just felt that what he said was really good, and she was a little proud that her brother Lin could talk fluently with such a master chef. Soon, the medicine was boiled, and Fang Lin woke up Fang's father and asked Fang Shuyou to drink the medicine and continue to sleep.

Then he boiled medicine for Fang's mother. After she drank it, she started to have diarrhea again. After tossing and turning for the whole afternoon, she finally took a few slices of wild ginseng under the guidance of old monk Lianzhou.

By the evening, Fang's father's fever had subsided and Fang's mother also said she was much better. Fang Lin and Tian Xuan finally put their minds at ease.

"Your father will be fine tomorrow if he has a good sleep. Your mother is a little troublesome, but after another drink tomorrow morning, it will be almost done." said the old monk Lianzhou.

……

The next morning, the heavy rain stopped, but the sky was still gloomy. However, people who had taken shelter from the rain in the temple had begun to leave one after another.

Elder monk Lianzhou and young monk Jingwen, the master and his disciple, also came to say goodbye.

At this time, Fang's father was almost well; Fang's mother had just taken medicine, and although she was still a little weak, she was basically recovered and came to see him off.

"I wonder where the master is practicing?" Fang Lin asked.

"I am staying at the Cifu Temple in Jiangyin. If you are passing by, you can come and have a cup of hot tea." After saying this, the old monk Lianzhou took his disciples on the road under the gaze of Fang Lin's family.

He did not mention any reward for curing the disease, and Fang Lin did not say any words of gratitude. A man and a monk met by chance and parted in a hurry, just like the most ordinary encounter in this world.

Afterwards, Fang Lin talked to Fang's father and mother and gave the jade bracelet to the person who had identified yesterday.

"Just give it to me, as long as our family is happy." Uncle Fang said.

After his house was robbed the day before, some of his ideas began to change after hearing what his son said.

"Linzi, I see the man next to our house..." Fang's mother hesitated, but asked about this matter.

"I did it. I had no choice but to do it at that time." Fang Lin was silent for a moment but did not hide anything.

"My son!" Fang's mother looked worried.

Father Fang was silent for a moment, and then said, "If the government investigates, just say that I killed him."

"Why must it come to this? Dad, Mom, it's okay." Fang Lin shook his head slightly.

In this wilderness, it was normal for someone to die. Besides, who knew them? Even more so, if the victim, Cripple Liu, was dead, how could there be any case?
Naturally, he had thought everything through before doing anything.

After hearing this, Fang's father and mother felt a little relieved; as for Tian Xuan, with her intelligence, she had naturally thought of all this a long time ago.

"Dad, Mom, and Brother Lin, look, the sun is out!" Tian Xuan suddenly said excitedly, pointing to the sky.

The whole family went to look.

In the sky, the sun shines through the gaps in the dark clouds, falling on the faces of the family who are looking up, making their mood unconsciously brighter.

"Yes, it's clear now." Fang Lin sighed, feeling a little touched in his heart.

If you ask him what was the best time since the fusion of the two lives, he would answer that it was now.

Life is full of hardships, and beauty is often fleeting, like a lit match on a snowy night, or like falling off a cliff, with wolves above and snakes below, and grabbing a drop of honey within reach on the leaf of a sapling that is about to break.

……

(End of this chapter)