The matter of the steamed bun shop. Zhao Ce naturally didn't know. Today, they earned another ten taels of silver. With that, their savings amounted to about fifteen taels. They were anxious about the money owed to Uncle. Even if they didn't say it, they still felt anxious. However, Zhao Ce secretly wanted to repay the money owed from their own family first. This way, he could consider the original owner's debt cleared. But at this rate, it wouldn't take long. He estimated that they could repay everything soon.
Zhao Ce held the little girl's hand, and the two strolled leisurely on the street. While walking and sighing, he said, "The street is busier than usual today." "It seems like we came out at the right time."
On the street, many people were walking in groups in one direction. While walking, they discussed, "It's been six days!" "The master still has a flushed face." "That's a living Buddha!" "I heard that today is the day the master wakes up. This Buddha will probably manifest himself too." "We have to hurry and go worship too." "Yes, yes, let's go worship quickly and ask the Buddha to bless our home."
Su Caier still held a half-eaten steamed bun in one hand. Hearing what the passersby were saying, she blinked in confusion. Zhao Ce, who was beside her, also became interested. He asked a passing uncle, "Excuse me, sir, what's the story with this Buddha?"
The uncle was not annoyed by being stopped and happily said, "Have you not been to the city for several days?" " Zhao Yuanwai's mother invited a high monk from Lu Feng Mountain earlier because she had frequent nightmares. This high monk is extraordinary, and he is a living Buddha reincarnated!" "Now everyone is rushing to worship him, hoping that he can bless their homes too."
After the uncle finished speaking, he also said anxiously, "I won't tell you anymore. I have to hurry and mix into the front row to worship the master." The uncle finished speaking and hurriedly left.
The little girl held the half-eaten steamed bun and looked up at Zhao Ce, asking, "Husband, is there really a living Buddha?" Zhao Ce raised his eyebrows and said with interest, "Do you want to go see?" On the way, many pedestrians were talking about going to worship the Buddha.
Zhao Ce thought to himself that this was like a time travel experience. He had never seen such a lively scene in ancient times. Since he had brought the little girl out today, he decided to take her to see the excitement as well. Su Caier was delighted and said that if the Buddha was really so divine, she also wanted to ask for blessings for her husband. She blushed as she thought about it and resolved to talk to the Buddha today, hoping to conceive her husband's child soon.
Zhao Ce tightened his grip on the little girl's hand and saw her small, pink earlobes. He smiled to himself, thinking that the girl had delicate skin that easily turned red from shyness, even though he hadn't said anything embarrassing just now. The little girl blushed again for some reason, and Zhao Ce shook off his wandering thoughts and said, "Let's go and see too." Su Caier nodded obediently and let him lead her there.
Along the way, the two of them roughly heard the story. Zhao Yuanwai's mother was already in her seventies and had been restless and unable to sleep for some time. She even had frequent nightmares and felt constantly thirsty despite drinking a lot of water.
So, they invited a highly accomplished monk from the mountain to recite scriptures and drive away the nightmares, hoping to help her sleep better. The monk immediately noticed that something was amiss when he arrived at Zhao Yuanwai's house. He said that Zhao Yuanwai's mother had been cursed by an evil spirit, a starving ghost, that had followed her home and was now tormenting the family. If they didn't do something about it, the entire family would be doomed.
Zhao Yuanwai's mother was frightened and called for help, and the compassionate monk used his own body to lure the starving ghost out. There was a trick to doing so, but the details were not clear. The monk sat outside Zhao Yuanwai's gate without eating or drinking, tricking the ghost into thinking it had found a substitute body.
Su Caier listened while leaning towards her husband, forgetting to eat the steamed buns in her hand. Zhao Ce chuckled and said, "The buns are cold, let's eat them first." Su Caier originally wanted to savor the delicious buns slowly, but she didn't want to be seen eating in front of the Buddha later, so she quickly finished them.
As the two followed the crowd, they arrived at the open space in front of Zhao Yuanwai's house. The area was already packed, with many people kneeling down and worshiping the Buddha. They chanted words of praise for the Buddha and hoped for blessings. Su Caier was also moved by the scene. She had never seen anything like it before. Although she didn't know if the Buddha was really divine, everyone was kneeling down, so it must be true, right?
Zhao Ce, on the other hand, saw a high monk meditating inside through the kneeling crowd. He raised his eyebrows in recognition. Wasn't this the same monk he saw at the city gate when he went to pay his respects to Confucius? He even bowed to him back then. The monk was dressed in a robe and had a string of Buddhist beads around his neck. He sat on a cushion with his eyes closed, and there was a large incense stick burning on a table beside him.
People around them were amazed by the monk's dedication. He had been fasting for six days to lure out an evil spirit that had been tormenting Zhao Yuanwai's mother. Everyone praised the monk's compassion and his Buddhist heart. Despite not eating or drinking for six days, the monk's complexion was still rosy, and he seemed unaffected.
Su Caier tugged at her husband's hand and whispered, "Husband, should we pay our respects and ask for blessings from the Buddha? Then you can become the top scholar." Zhao Ce glanced at the monk who had been fasting for six days and the string of Buddhist beads around his neck. He couldn't help but smile at the small trick used to deceive the people of that time. He said, "Let's wait and see."
Suddenly, the crowd began to stir. The large incense stick on the table had burned out, and at that moment, the monk opened his eyes and murmured, "Amitabha." He slowly stood up from the ground, still with a rosy complexion and agile movements. He looked like a real sage with his red robe and kind expression.
A plump middle-aged man walked out of the gate, followed by an old woman and a young man. "Zhao Yuanwai's family is coming out!" someone shouted. "It seems that this evil spirit is going to be eliminated!"