Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 211 Vegetarian Order

Most of the time, patrolling is like shopping.

The four of them walked and talked until they arrived at Jianyuan Temple, not far from Xuanwu Lake.

Jianyuan Temple is the branch of Tongtai Temple. Tongtai Temple is known as the first temple in the world and the center of the entire Southern Dynasty Buddhism. It is built on the Purple Mountain and is shrouded in golden light all year round. Even ghostwriters are not allowed to enter without permission.

Jianyuan Temple is the link between Tongtai Temple and the outside world, where pilgrims can burn incense, make donations, chant sutras and confess their sins. Monks from other places who come to study also live here.

Today is the day they have agreed to meet the little monk.

The four of them waited at the door for a while, and then they saw the delicate and graceful little monk Faxiu walking out of the temple.

At first he walked slowly, his eyes straight ahead, and looked quite steady. But once he was out of the sight of the monk at the door, he waved at them excitedly and ran over happily.

"Big brother, second brother, third brother." Faxiu greeted Ren Yuan and the other two with a smile, then looked at A Yao and said with admiration: "You must be Sister A Yao, you are so beautiful."

"What do you know about beauty, little monk?" Chen Baxian couldn't help laughing, but A Yao gave him a cold look. He quickly changed his words and said, "Oh, Xiao Si'er, you have a good eye!"

A Yao then nodded to the little monk and said, "If they dare to bully you in the future, tell me."

"My second and third brothers have always taken good care of me." The little monk nodded happily.

"So I'm the only bad guy?" Chen Baxian put his arm around the little monk's neck and said, "Come on, I'll take you to eat something delicious so you can feel how much I love you."

~~
Yang Zhong was a spendthrift from time to time and was very familiar with all the major restaurants in Beijing.

He then brought everyone to a lakeside restaurant called 'Shuiyuexuan'.

When the shopkeeper saw Yang Zhong coming, he hurried out to greet him and asked, "Master Yang, haven't been here for a while?"

"Busy." Yang Zhong smiled and said, "I brought my brothers here today to taste your cooking. Do you have any private rooms available?"

"If others don't have it, Master Yang must have it." The shopkeeper personally led everyone into the private room, and while arranging the dried and fresh fruits himself, he asked, "Still the same as before?"

"Why ask? Bring us all the dishes on the menu!" Yang Zhong said in a gruff voice, "So that you guys won't think we can't afford to treat you!"

That face was completely different from his usual one.

Everyone knew that this was the price he had to pay, and it would only work if he used his own money. Ren Yuan couldn't even transfer the money from one hand to the other.

If he spends lavishly like today, he won't have any attacks for a month or so, so I won't stop him.

"Okay!" The shopkeeper smiled happily. Business is slow now and today he depends entirely on this table.

As the shopkeeper left, the little monk was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. "Second brother, you are so kind to me."

"I'm glad you know." Yang Zhong's smile was a little forced. His heart was bleeding, but he just couldn't control himself.

At this time, Ren Yuan took out the red oil umbrella from his back and opened it, and the beautiful Su Xiaoxiao appeared in the box.

"Wow." The little monk was startled and said in surprise, "Another beautiful sister."

"Little brother, we are from the same hometown." Su Xiaoxiao smiled and bowed to him, "I have always wanted to thank you in person. Today I finally have the chance."

"Ah, you are Sister Su Xiaoxiao." Faxiu suddenly realized.

"Smart." Su Xiaoxiao nodded with a smile. She was very friendly. After chatting with Faxiu for a while, the little monk kept calling her "Sister, sister." At this time, the waiter began to serve the dishes. Jiankang was the richest city in the world. The chef of the restaurant cooked a variety of delicacies, including seafood and land. The little monk was stunned and drooling.

"Don't just look at it, pick up your chopsticks and try it." Yang Zhong smiled and let the little monk eat first.

"Hey," the little monk forced a smile and picked up a piece of mushroom with chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and then picked up another piece of bean curd...

"Don't just eat vegetarian food. You should eat more meat to grow taller." Chen Baxian picked up the wine glass and said with a smile: "Come on, Xiao Si'er, let's have a drink to welcome you."

"Alas, big brother, you don't know that I can't eat meat or drink alcohol from now on." Faxiu said sadly, "The emperor issued the "Abstaining from Meat and Alcohol" a few years ago, saying that eating meat and alcohol will have 160 kinds of cause and effect karma, so he ordered all monks and nuns not to eat meat or drink alcohol."

"It would be better if the 'vegetarian order' was issued a few days later. At least I can have this meal." The little monk was so aggrieved that tears came down: "Isn't this a disloyal act against me?"

"Hey, rules are dead, but people are alive. You should eat and drink as you please behind closed doors. Once you go out, who knows what you ate?" Chen Baxian said nonchalantly.

"That won't do." The little monk shook his head and said, "The vegetarian order has become a precept. Monks can no longer eat meat."

"That was decided by the emperor, not the Buddha. Should you listen to the emperor or the Buddha?" Ren Yuan said with a smile.

"Buddha's. Buddha said that we can eat three kinds of pure meat and drink vegetarian wine." Faxiu said.

"So, now insisting on eating meat is to be firm in your devotion to Buddhism, and insisting on drinking is to strictly observe the precepts." Yang Zhong nodded, poured him a glass of wine and said, "Don't you think this is true?"

"This vegetarian order is so unreasonable. The Buddhist scriptures say 'every blade of grass, every tree, every living being' and 'all beings are equal.'" Even Su Xiaoxiao laughed and said, "So vegetables, rice, pigs and sheep are all the same life. Why is it that eating meat is a sin, but eating vegetarian food is okay?"

A Yao silently tore off a chicken leg and put it in front of him.

"……"The poor little monk was convinced by these rebellious guys, so he took the chicken leg, took a big bite, and was immediately intoxicated by the fragrance.

"Oh mom, it smells so good."

"Come on, drink." Chen Baxian said, holding up the wine cup and letting the monk drink it all in one gulp, choking the monk and causing him to cough repeatedly. "Wow, it's so spicy. What's good to drink?"

"Forget it, minors shouldn't drink alcohol, just eat meat." Ren Yuan took the wine cup away.

~~
The little monk ate voraciously until his belly was round and he sat at the table groaning. "I can't eat any more. I really can't eat any more."

Su Xiaoxiao poured him a cup of tea. "If you can't eat, don't force it. This isn't the only meal. Let's chat."

"Okay, what do you want to talk about, sister?" the little monk asked, supporting himself on the mat with both hands.

"Do you know that there is a secular monk named Ruan Yu in Jianyuan Temple?" Su Xiaoxiao asked softly.

"Wow, sister, why do you always look for monks?" Faxiu blurted out.

The bald man was hit by Chen Baxian. "How can you talk like that? What do you mean by looking for a monk? You speak as if Miss Su likes this."

"You're not that strong, and you still have the nerve to talk about others." Ren Yuan said speechlessly.

Su Xiaoxiao smiled calmly and said, "You misunderstood. I no longer have any feelings for him. But there is a knot in my heart that needs to be untied. He left without saying goodbye and never came back. I was so worried that I died of depression. So I want to find out why he did that."

She raised her eyebrows and said, "Even if he wants to abandon me, he can just write me a letter. Would I, Su Xiaoxiao, still pester him?"

(End of this chapter)