Camel Monk

In the late autumn moon season, everything is tired. The wind is gentle and sunny, the autumn air is crisp, the sky is azure, white clouds are floating, the stream is gurgling, and the birds are chirping. Everything has begun to hibernate after the exhaustion of the scorching summer. The weather is cool and the breath of autumn is everywhere. On a pine tree next to a country road, a few squirrels were jumping between the branches. The sound of camel bells, tinkling, tinking, came from the end of the road. . The sound was ringing, and I heard a clear voice singing from far to near: The old monk enlightened to Taoism and lived a life worthy of the world. He did not have the suffering of worldly fame and fame, let alone the worldly worries of money. . . . They came wandering around while singing, and at the end everyone saw an old monk wearing rags and coarse cloth riding a camel, holding a whisk in his hand, with kind eyes and a look of pride and enjoyment. When he arrived at the village, he jumped off the camel, led it with his hands, and came to the village. The camel was pulling some leaves as it walked, chewing them all the time, and there was some foam at the corners of the mouth. The entrance to the village is full of cabbages, the bamboo poles are full of dried sweet potatoes, camellia oil seeds, white pieces of dried sweet potato powder, and strings of corn are hanging at the door of every house. Next to the pond, several women were beating their clothes and pants on the bluestone. They all rolled up their trousers and stood in the stream. They did not feel cold. There were small fish swimming around their feet. From time to time, there were sounds of laughter. The writing on the bluestone was blurred, but a few big characters could be vaguely seen, Tang Zhenguan. The old monk shouted as he walked: "Test the characters to tell the fortune, test the characters to tell the fortune. Good luck or bad luck all depends on the surname. Good luck or fortune depends on the fate. If you are lucky, you will be the emperor. If you are lucky, you will be the emperor. If you are not lucky, you will lay a straw mat on the floor. Some people have piles of gold and silver in their homes, and some people have no grains of rice in their jars." . . As we walked, we arrived at a house. The head of the household was called Jiamugu. This Jiamugu was the one who bathed people in the village. This bather was the undertaker. When he saw that it was a monk and fortune teller who was visiting, he politely invited him into the house and said: "Master, you are polite. May I ask what you have to say." Then he told his wife: "Guess, why don't you make tea quickly?" At first glance, the daughter-in-law looked honest and kind, and after her husband's instructions, she quickly put on an apron and went down to the kitchen to wash the pots and burn firewood and hot water. The old monk smiled and said: I came here to stay overnight, because it was getting late, and passers-by were tired after walking a lot, and this place is remote and there is nowhere to rest. I wanted to stay at your house for a night, but I don't know if it is convenient for the donor. Jiamu Guben is an ancient, honest and honest person who is very hospitable, so he immediately said: No problem, no problem, the master can stay as long as he wants. It's not too late to be happy that our family can have such a distinguished guest as the master. My parents taught me to devote myself to Buddhism since I was a child. They did good deeds and accumulated virtues when they were still alive. They used to entertain the traveling masters. The old monk smiled and said: This is very good. The donor is dedicated to kindness, and I, the Buddha, are compassionate. Good intentions will be rewarded. Just as he was talking, the daughter-in-law of the Jia family quickly brought up two cups of tea and two large bowls of plain noodles, one for the old monk and one for the Jiamugu. They didn't cook it themselves. According to local customs, guests would usually cook the noodles when they came to visit.