kvmb Chapter 19 The Legend of the Abbot
Chapter 19 The Legend of the Abbot
After walking only a few steps, Wenwen's stomach started growling.
She was really hungry.
She stopped walking, tilted her head, and said to her grandmother in a coquettish tone, "Grandma~"
This unprecedented display of affection startled Grandma, who trembled uncontrollably, finding it quite unusual.
"Wen'er, let's... let's talk this out properly."
My second aunt was even more direct; the hand she was holding suddenly tensed up.
Wenwen: …
A coquettish female lead doesn't suit her.
However, it's okay to come here occasionally.
She resumed her tone, "Grandma, I'm hungry, you know, um, get it?"
She opened her palms, clenched them in front of the two of them, then opened them again, clenched them again, then opened them again.
Grandma and second aunt understood.
Grandmother reached out and tapped Wenwen's forehead. "I'll go tell your grandfather."
Second Aunt patted Wenwen's arm and said, "I'll go and talk to your aunts."
Wenwen nodded vigorously, then hurriedly darted to a corner. She plopped down and quickly went to greet the younger children beside her.
"Hey bro, bring all your friends over to your sister's place."
Wen Chengyu (to make it easier to distinguish, we'll call her by her name from now on) has been waiting for her older sister's summons for a long time.
He held Zhou Jiarui's right hand, Zhou Jiarui held Wen Qing's hand, and Wen Qing held Yao Xiaomi's hand—a real string of little hands.
"Fifth brother, sixth brother, fourth brother, come here too."
Fourth Brother Wen Chengfeng, along with Fifth Brother Wen Chengmo and Sixth Brother Wen Chengjing, also quickly arrived.
Everyone gathered in a corner, forming a circle.
In the darkness, Wenwen handed her fourth brother a bag of pastries.
There are also a few wet wipes.
"Fourth Brother, you take care of them and explain the rules to them first. Use this to wipe their hands."
Fourth Brother assured him confidently, "Don't worry."
The inner circle was properly arranged.
Wenwen stood up and left the small encirclement.
I was just about to make arrangements for the sisters.
Unexpectedly, the older sisters, led by their eldest sister, had already formed a second circle.
My mother, my second aunt, and a few others were all on the periphery.
Great, it seems everyone is very familiar with this step, and the mentoring of newcomers is going smoothly.
Wenwen, quick-witted and agile, still managed to stuff a bag of food into her mother's hands.
"Mother, you two eat first, I'm going to go talk to Grandfather."
"Yes, go ahead. Don't worry about your mother here. Don't tire out your grandfather."
"Know it."
Wenwen turned around and saw her grandmother about two steps away from returning to this side.
She took two steps forward and took her grandmother's hand. "Grandma, please go back to Grandpa's side. Let's keep him company and listen to some stories, hehehe..."
Grandmother: This girl! How can she be so... gossipy?
The grandfather and grandson sat down next to the grandfather.
My third uncle and the others were with my grandfather as well.
Wenwen stopped hiding it and generously handed her third uncle a bag of food.
He winked at his third uncle while he was at it.
Third Uncle understood. "Got it, Third Uncle will keep watch."
After finishing his sentence, Uncle San pulled Uncle Da, Uncle Xiao, and Uncle San to sit down near the prison door.
The four of them ate in silence, staring warily at the iron gate and stairs.
Wenwen handed her grandparents a few slices of bread and opened a bottle of water for them.
She stuffed her mouth with a cookie, and even after swallowing it, her mouth wasn't still idle.
"Grandparents, when things are more comfortable, I'll take you out for a life of luxury."
Grandfather smiled broadly, "That's great! We'll be waiting for you then."
"I will never break my promise, hehe~"
Grandma was very supportive, her eyes crinkling with laughter.
Wenwen chatted idly for a while.
We waited patiently for the two elderly people to finish eating and drinking.
Her gossipy nature gradually emerged.
Adhering to the principle of asking questions directly and getting straight to the point without beating around the bush.
"Grandfather, tell me the story of the abbot, please. It satisfies my curiosity."
Grandfather did not refuse and began to speak slowly, picking and choosing what to say.
The abbot's original name was Chen Yuan, and he was a playmate from a neighboring village.
When they were children, the north suffered from drought, resulting in a complete crop failure and a lack of means of survival. The villagers discussed the matter and decided to flee south with the crowd. On the way, they encountered bandits, and some died or were injured. The grandfather was separated from his family and, while fleeing in the deep mountains and forests, he met Yuanzi from a neighboring village.
From then on, the two boys depended on each other for survival, stumbling and falling all the way to the outskirts of the capital of Zhongzhao Kingdom.
At that time, the Zhongzhao Kingdom was besieged on all sides and constantly engaged in wars.
Two teenagers witnessed a farewell banquet for an army in the suburbs of Beijing.
It was this lively event that led them down different paths.
My grandfather was noticed by a general who took him under his wing and enlisted in the army.
Yuanzi was chosen by the abbot who came to see him off and was allowed to follow him into the temple to practice Buddhism, with the Dharma name: Yuanwu.
For many years afterward, my grandfather was busy fighting in various battles.
Yuanzi Ge is diligently practicing Buddhism at the temple.
They almost lost contact.
More than ten years later, my grandfather quelled the rebellion, returned to the capital in triumph, and was awarded the title of General Dingguo.
Meanwhile, Master Yuanwu of the temple in the suburbs of Beijing became famous and was effectively appointed as the abbot.
My grandfather once went to the temple to look for Yuanzi, but unfortunately he was unable to meet him.
The young boy in the temple simply said, "Master Yuanwu has gone on a journey across the world; when we will meet again is up to fate."
More than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.
My grandfather had already married and had children in Kyoto. His two eldest sons also joined the army as teenagers for training.
At this time, the foreign tribes to the north of Zhongzhao Kingdom had recovered from their recuperation, but war broke out again.
The grandfather led his eldest and second sons to the front lines.
This time, the battlefield was exceptionally dangerous.
To save his old friend's grandson, the grandfather and his general Wu charged into the battlefield and fought bravely.
The grandfather was seriously injured, General Wu had his legs cut off, and the old friend's grandson, whom he was protecting, only suffered minor injuries. It seemed that they were about to be beheaded.
Suddenly, strange sounds arose from the sky, sand and stones flew across the battlefield, darkness descended, and a heavy rain was imminent.
Master Yuanwu descended from the sky.
Taking advantage of the chaos, he led the three seriously injured men to break through the encirclement.
They sought shelter from the wind and rain in a nearby mountain cave.
Inside the cave, Master Yuanwu gave each person a pill.
He then sat cross-legged at the entrance of the cave to meditate.
After the battle ended with the sounding of retreat, the grandfather's eldest and second sons (who were Wenwen's father, Wen Qilin, and her second uncle, Wen Qiyuan) led their men to the cave. Two hours had already passed.
The two found the cave and saw the abbot guarding the entrance in deep meditation. Even though they were anxious, they dared not disturb him.
Patiently waiting for the abbot to emerge from meditation, they waited for a whole day and night.
The two men were unshaven, with bloodshot eyes, and looked unkempt.
The abbot opened his eyes and saw the two faces, which looked exactly like his grandfather when he was young. He made a decision in his mind, nodded and instructed, "Amitabha, may Buddha have mercy. You two come inside with me, and the rest of you wait outside."
The two said in unison, "We will follow the abbot's instructions."
The three then entered the cave.
The guards outside kept changing, and everyone was very worried about the injuries of their grandfather and the others.
Three days later, my grandfather and General Wu were taken back to the camp to recuperate.
The abbot bid them farewell and continued his travels.
Upon hearing this, Wenwen couldn't help but ask, "Grandfather, is there something to do with my father and second uncle involved?"
"Of course! The abbot saved my grandfather's life. The abbot has done a great favor for our family."
"Yes, the abbot is a great benefactor. I will definitely thank him properly when I have the chance in the future."
“However, grandfather, there’s something I’m very curious about since you haven’t seen each other for over thirty years.”
"What are you curious about?"
"You two hadn't seen each other for so long, didn't you feel a bit like 'old friends meeting again, tears welling up in their eyes'? Hehe~ Hehe~~"
Her grandfather was amused by her words, "Haha, ha~~".
The grandmother and grandson were overjoyed.
Grandmother couldn't help but laugh and said, "What are you saying, child? Your grandfather was a dignified general who stabilized the country, and Master Yuanwu was a highly accomplished monk. Would they really shed tears in front of others?"
"That's true, hehe~ hehe~"
Grandmother changed the subject, "Wen'er, the abbot treated your illness, do you remember?"
Wenwen paused, "Huh? For me?"
She thought about it carefully, but couldn't find that part of her memory.
He shook his head and sighed, "I don't remember."
Her grandmother comforted her, "It's okay if you don't remember. Your sisters were always by your side back then, they all know. Ask them when you have time, I think they could tell you for days and nights."
Wenwen was overjoyed, completely agreeing with her grandmother's words; her sisters were indeed eloquent.
She beamed and said, "Grandpa and Grandma, you two rest for a bit, I'm going to find my sisters, hehe~"
Looking at Wenwen's lively and energetic nature, her grandparents only wished that the child would be healthy and well; nothing else mattered.