The first Taoist priest of the Tang Dynasty

"Brother, I saw Brother Dasheng just now."

Zhong Wen raised his head and looked at Xiao Hua. He wondered what was going on in her little head. Is there anything strange about seeing Brother Da Sheng?Brother Dasheng was originally helping in the temple, if he wasn't here, where else could he go?

"Well, I see."

Zhong Wen just wanted to take a good rest, even if his eyes and arms were fine, because there was still a side hall waiting for him to work on.

After resting, Zhong Wen went to the remaining side hall and began to copy characters.

Xiaohua watched her brother do that boring thing again, then ran away to watch Taoist and Dasheng brother repair the side hall.

At this time, Zhong Wen was immersed in copying characters, but he didn't notice that a Taoist at the gate of the side hall was watching him.

If Zhong Wen knew, he would definitely stop what he was doing, pack up his things, and leave immediately, or even say hello and say something nice. After all, these Taoist texts belonged to Longquan Temple, not Zhong Wen.

Chapter 13 Discovered

Zhong Wen held the chicken feather pen in his hand, staring at the base stone in front of him, a large number of characters flashed in his mind, and compared them with the characters in front of him.

"This word looks a bit like Tian, ​​but why is half of it missing? Alas, it seems that I can only copy it first, and study it when I have time."

Zhong Wen murmured some words, and sank into it with all his heart, but he didn't know that a Taoist not far behind him was walking over gently at this time.

"Little Zhong family, what are you doing? Is there any use for copying these characters?"

The Taoist approached Zhong Wen and asked Zhong Wen, the voice was not very loud, but it still gave Zhong Wen a big jump.

"Hello, Daoist Chen, I'm just curious about these characters and want to copy them down for a look."

Zhong Wen came back to his senses, and saw the Taoist in Longquan Temple standing behind him, hurriedly got up from the ground, at this moment, Zhong Wen appeared as if he had been caught as a thief, a little at a loss.

"Children of the Zhong family, these characters are difficult to read. We don't understand many characters, and there are many incomplete ones. What's the use of you copying them? You don't know how to read."

The Taoist looked at the wood chips in the basket beside Zhong Wen, and picked up a piece of wood to look at.

"Chen Daochang, am I bored? The injury on my head is not healed, and I can't help with work. I can only find something to do. Although I don't know these characters, as long as I read the book in the future, I can think about it." know."

Zhong Wen stood aside, waiting for Daoist Chen to blow him away. Of course, he still hoped that Daoist Chen would be lenient so that he could finish transcribing the remaining characters.

"When you don't know what year you've been studying, it's good to copy some Daoist characters. Even if you don't know it, it's still good for you to read the Daoist scriptures for a long time."

Although Chen Daochang didn't look down on Zhong Wen in his heart, he was also very clear about the current situation in the village. Whose baby could possibly study?They are all from poor families, and who can afford to read.

"Thank you Daoist Chen for teaching."

Zhong Wen realized that this Daoist Chen would not blow him away, and his heart was lifted, but he suddenly fell, as long as he didn't blow himself away, so that he could finish copying the remaining characters.

"You copy it, I'll go to work first, but don't disturb the Taoist monarchs in the palace, be respectful."

After Chen Daochang finished speaking, he left the side hall and went busy with his affairs, leaving Zhong Wen standing on the spot in a daze.

This Daoist Chen, whose real name is Chen Feng, has one son and two daughters. His wife passed away early, leaving Chen Feng to live in Guanli with his one son and two daughters.

The other Taoists in Longquan Temple basically have their own families, some have a daughter, and many have three children like Chen Feng.

Li Daochang, the master of the Longquan temple, is a different kind among them. He has been alone all the time, and he is the oldest, but he is also the best in body. He doesn't know what kind of Taoism he has practiced.

The children of other Taoists are also about the same age as Zhong Wen and the others, but they seldom go to the village below the mountain to play, so they are not very familiar with Zhong Wen and the others.

It is said that Daochang Chen was a general many years ago, and he brought his wife to Longquan Temple to join Daochang Li, and he seemed to be quite familiar with Daochang Li.

Chen Daochang looks about 50 to [-] years old, but Zhong Wen doesn't know how old he is. Looking at his one son and two daughters, he will not be too young in the future. The eldest son of his family is fifteen or sixteen years old this year. The daughter is older than Zhong Wen, but the third daughter is younger than Zhong Wen.

Zhong Wen rubbed his nose, wondering why this Daoist Chen was so admiring. Although he had met this Daoist Chen many times, he rarely talked to him.

Presumably, this Daoist Chen mistakenly thought that he wanted to join the Tao, so he was a little more admirable. If it was another Taoist, he would have blown himself away, right?

In Longquan Temple, except for the main hall, which is not allowed to enter at will, other side halls are all right.

In the past, because Zhong Wen was curious about the main hall, he entered it once, but he was kicked out by a Taoist in the temple and scolded him a few times.

Zhong Wen also stopped thinking about this Daoist Chen, sat down again, and began to copy the characters.

A few quarters of an hour later, after transcribing the characters in this side hall, Zhong Wen let out a long breath, looked at the wooden chips in the basket beside him, and felt that he had accomplished something extraordinary Just as easy.

"Brother, have you finished copying? We should go home."

Before Zhong Wen could rest for a while, Xiao Hua trotted over from outside the hall, whispered something to Zhong Wen, and did not forget to help Zhong Wen carry the basket.

"Okay, don't carry it. The basket is a bit heavy. I just finished copying and was about to take a break. You came here. Okay, let's go home."

Zhong Wen hurriedly stopped Xiao Hua who was carrying the basket. The basket was not heavy, but the pieces of wood were quite heavy. With Xiao Hua's physique, it was impossible to carry it home.

The wood chips were wet wood chips, and they were heavy. Sixteen wood chips weighed at least [-] to [-] catties. Not to mention small flowers, even Zhong Wen found it difficult to carry them.

The two brothers and sister walked out of the gate of Longquan Temple with brisk steps, and walked towards the village along the small mountain road.

At this time at home, Zhong Mugen and his wife had already finished their farming work and returned home.

According to the past time, at this point in time, Zhong Mugen and his wife will not come back, but Zhong Mugen is worried that his children will not listen to his persuasion and insist on going to the mountains, and he is even more afraid that something will happen to the Zhong Wen brothers and sisters. Get home a little earlier.

"His father, Xiaowen and Xiaohua are not at home, so they won't go to the mountains again, right? You should hurry up and take a look, so that nothing happens."

Seeing that there were no brothers and sisters Zhong Wen at home, Xiu felt very anxious, what if something happened to her?

"I'll go right away. The basket at home is gone. It seems that Xiaowen and the others really went to the forest. See if I don't break his leg."

Zhong Mugen looked at the kitchen at home, and found that a basket was missing. Thinking that the Zhong Wen brothers and sisters might have gone to the forest, he became anxious, and ran towards the back mountain with his legs lifted.

"Daddy, daddy."

When Zhong Wen and Xiao Hua were walking down the trail, Xiao Hua saw her father running from afar and shouted loudly.

Zhong Wen looked at the old man who ran over, and thought to himself, in such a hurry, could something happen?

"You, you went to the mountains again? See if I don't beat you to death."

Zhong Mugen came to Zhong Wen and the others, panting heavily, pointed at the brothers and sisters, heartbroken, and raised his hand to hit them.

"Father, we didn't go to the forest, we went to Guanli."

Xiaohua sees her father like this, if she doesn't explain, she will really be beaten.

"You didn't lie to Dad? You really didn't go to the mountains?"

Zhong Mugen looked suspiciously at the two brothers and sisters, and then at the basket Zhong Wen was holding. There were no rabbits, but there were some wooden boards, and he didn't know what they were.

"Father, we didn't go to the mountains and forests, we just went to Guanli."

Zhong Wen looked at the old man in front of him, wondering if this is the worry of being a parent?Or is it human nature?Perhaps this is the nature of protecting the calf that animals have had since birth, let alone humans.

"Okay, okay, it's fine if you don't go to the forest, let's go home, your mother should be worried, Xiaowen, give me the basket."

Zhong Mugen looked at his two sons and daughters, as if they were not lying, so he felt relieved.

After returning home, he explained to the old lady for a long time, which saved him a lot of trouble, otherwise the beating of Zhong Wen brother and sister would have been in vain today.

"Xiaowen, what are you doing with this piece of wood? There are many symbols drawn on it."

Xiu looked at the pieces of wood in the basket, there was also a ceramic bowl underneath, filled with some gray-black liquid, but she didn't know what it was for.

"Aniang, I know, I know, my brother took me to Guanli to copy characters in the morning, and my brother said it was scriptures or something."

Xiao Hua raised her small hand, ran close to the old lady, shook Xiu's arm, and talked about today's events loudly, making Zhong Wen unable to stop Zhong Wen from trying to cover up the truth.

Zhong Mugen stood not far away, listened to Xiao Hua's explanation, looked at Zhong Wen, then lowered his head, sighing.

Xiu touched Xiao Hua's little head and stared at Zhong Wen for a long time, not knowing what to say.

But at this time, Zhong Mugen and his wife were thinking that their son seemed to want to read and write, but the current situation in the family, not to mention pens, inks, papers and inkstones, even Shuxiu's money could not come out. , How can I get the money to send my son to study and read?

Zhong Mugen squatted on the side, lowered his head, and thought to himself, no matter how poor the family is, no matter what, they have to send their son to study, even if it takes his life, he will not hesitate.

If Zhong Wen knew that his father had such thoughts, Zhong Wen would not be willing to kill him. This is not a good idea, not to mention that the family is so dilapidated, why do you still read a bird book?What's the use of reading if the stomach is not resolved?

Reading, perhaps in the eyes of many people, is extremely simple, but in ancient times, it was difficult and difficult.

All dynasties and dynasties have preferential treatment for scholars, and their status is high. If they read well and rank first in the imperial examination, it is also a matter of glory.

In the early Tang Dynasty, although there were imperial examinations, the old system was still the main way to select officials. With the recommendation of gentry from all over the country, it was possible for you to be an official. No matter how bad it was, you could choose an official or something.

Of course, it is very rare for a person from a poor family to become an official in the court. Unless the person has great talent, great influence, and is widely known, the chance of becoming an official in the court is quite high. If the above If you don't have these, then you can only be a teacher if you think about it.

For dinner, it was still porridge with wild vegetables, but some rabbit meat was added in, but wild vegetables accounted for more than half of the porridge.

Xiu looked at her sons and daughters who were gulping down wild vegetable porridge, then looked up at Zhong Mugen, and at this time, Zhong Muji also looked at Xiu.

The eyes of the two met, and they immediately understood each other's thoughts, and nodded at each other, as if they were making a big decision.

At this time, the Zhong Wen brothers and sisters didn't know what their parents had decided, so let's talk about filling their stomachs first, otherwise they will be very hungry at night.

Chapter 14 Goodbye, Past Life

After dinner, it was almost dark.

In such a dark night, and there is no oil lamp at home, let alone electric light, one can either lie on thatched mat and count sheep, or squat in front of the open space at home to feed mosquitoes.

Zhong Wen was lying on the thatched mat, his eyes wide open, looking at the dark roof, but in his mind, countless characters flashed before his eyes.

A general Taoist text appeared before Zhong Wen's eyes.

There is no way to do nothing, the way is self-contained,...

Although Zhong Wen doesn't know whether this spelling and word formation is correct or not, he thinks there is no problem, but there are still many characters that are unclear, and many are missing.

As the night passed, the sky gradually brightened.

Zhong Mugen and his wife went to the field again against the hoe. For them, the fields and food are the most important.

After waking up, Zhong Wen washed up casually, then came out with the piece of wood he wrote yesterday, and placed it in front of the stone in front of the open space.

The paint in the pottery bowl is a little dry after one night, but it can still be used for writing.

But today, Zhong Wen didn't use it any more, just threw it all away and cleaned the pottery bowl.

Holding a branch in his hand, squatting down, watching these written pieces of wood, in Zhong Wen's mind, he was printing, identifying, and forming words character by character.

A few quarters of an hour later, Zhong Wen's eyes were red from seeing, so he quickly turned around and sat on the stone to rest, to relieve the soreness of his eyes caused by keeping them open for a long time.

"Brother, what are you doing?"

At this time, after Xiao Hua woke up from the thatched mat, she approached Zhong Wen from the house and looked at the wood chips on the ground.

"Brother is looking at the characters on these wood chips."

Zhong Wen looked at Xiao Hua, and his eyes were sleepy again.

If my little sister dresses up a little bit, she will definitely be a cute and cute little girl.

Of course, this is impossible. With such conditions at home, it is really difficult to dress up.

"Brother, what are we doing today? Are we going to collect firewood?"

Xiao Hua is the most sensible at home, sometimes even more sensible than Zhong Wen before.

Perhaps it is because of the difference between boys and girls that boys are more mischievous than girls, and girls are naturally more reserved and sensible because of their mothers. Coupled with the existence of patriarchal thoughts, this is even more so. .

Of course, this cannot be judged by the criteria of previous lives, because this is ancient times.

Therefore, in Zhong Wen's eyes, Xiao Hua is a sensible little girl who knows the importance. Of course, sometimes Zhong Wen will feel annoyed by Xiao Hua, because this little girl is too long-winded and annoying.

"Xiaohua, we're not going to do anything today. We're at home. We still have some firewood at home. After Dad and the others come back from work, call Dad to go to the forest to see if there are any hares."

Zhong Wen didn't go to the forest yesterday, so he must check it out today.

But because my father had confessed it two days ago, I could only choose to call my father to go.

"Oh, then I'll go play with my second sister."

After hearing Zhong Wen's words, Xiaohua thought that there would be nothing wrong with her today, so she could go to the village to play with her friends.

"Yes, but don't run too far, just stay in the village."

Zhong Wen didn't have too many opinions, as long as the little girl didn't go to the mountains, the fields, or even play in the small river in front of the fields, everything else was fine.

Xiao Hua disappeared after a while, and Zhong Wen continued to watch the wood chips.

With the passage of time, more and more characters were printed in Zhong Wen's brain, and they became clearer and clearer. Zhong Wen didn't even need to look at the wood chips on the ground to know how the characters written on the wood chips were. Such a shape.

Zhong Wen then sat back on the rock, stared into the distance, and became dazed.

Perhaps Zhong Wen was in a daze for what others saw, but many characters kept flashing in Zhong Wen's mind.

Just like a computer, all kinds of characters start to confuse, then combine, confuse again, and combine again.