Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 285 Incense
Wanhe Temple was crowded with people.

Because there were too many people in a short period of time, the Zhang family and their group couldn't squeeze in at all.

Zhang Yanling was not in a hurry at all. After all, he did not believe in gods and ghosts. He just wanted to bring his old father here so that he could see it for himself and understand why he had to do the next big thing.

Finally, when the crowds of people were slightly relieved, the father and son were able to enter the temple. Zhang Luan looked at the huge main hall of the Buddhist temple and couldn't help but sigh: "Look at this main hall, it's really majestic. The Buddha's body, can it be made of gold?"

Zhang Yanling said, "How is it possible? How much gold would be needed for such a large Buddha statue? It's just a layer of gold coating on the outside. Besides, if it's made of pure gold, wouldn't it be targeted by thieves?"

"What's wrong with you, kid? How dare someone covet the gold of the Buddha's body? I'm afraid you will be punished by God, right?"

Zhang Luan said this and hurried over to get the incense, preparing to burn it and worship the Buddha.

But the person distributing incense told him that one stick of incense cost forty coins.

"How many?"

Zhang Luan almost wanted to hit someone.

The person opposite him was not from the temple. He was a very gentle and handsome young man. He smiled and said, "Sir, you look very noble. The incense is worth it... How about this? I'll give you coarse incense that can burn for an hour. I always give fine incense to others. You look like you have a connection with Buddha."

"is it?"

Zhang Luan's expression instantly became pleasant again.

But when he was about to pay, he suddenly felt that forty coins for a stick of incense was too much of a rip-off. For an ordinary family, it would be enough to cover the expenses for three or four days. He couldn't help but pull his son aside, stick out his chin, and ordered, "Go over there and ask how much a stick of incense costs."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, you can't tell from the way we walked along. These incense sellers are hired by the Buddhist temple. Do you think ordinary people can come here to sell incense? These incense sellers all have certain backgrounds. Those vendors outside can't come in at all. This is also a way for the Buddhist temple to make money from incense."

As he was speaking, someone came over with a donation box and asked Zhang Luan for donations to build a Buddhist temple.

Zhang Luan casually took out a few coins and threw them into the donation box, then looked at the incense seller, who was using almost the same words to deal with the people who came forward to inquire about the price.

Zhang Luan cursed, "They are all a bunch of profiteers... Hey, you too, what's the point of exposing them? You also said that I have a connection with Buddha, but I think I have nothing to do with Buddha at all... Oh, bah, bah, bah, why are you saying this in a Buddhist temple? I am really mad at you."

"Dad, you can scold the profiteers if you want, but why do you have to involve me? I didn't provoke you."

Zhang Yanling shrugged.

What I mean is that you burn incense to please your wife, it’s none of my business.

Do you like to buy it or not.

Zhang Luan said with a bitter face: "I came here to burn incense for no reason, but you insisted on exposing everything. You let me be a fool and burn incense without knowing anything, isn't that good?"

"cut."

Zhang Yanling said disdainfully, "Your kindness was taken for granted. I reminded you to prevent you from being deceived, but it became my fault? I have to admit my admiration, father."

……

……

Zhang Luan then went to buy some incense and prepared to go to the main hall to burn incense, but he was told that he had to light the incense in front of the Buddha and pay extra money.

"…If you give one coin, you can stick it in the front of the incense burner. Buddha can clearly feel your sincerity. If you want to stick it in the back, you have to spend some money, about one or two hundred coins, to see how close you are to Buddha. If you really can't do that, then you can give fifty coins and stick it directly on the ground inside. It all depends on how pious you are…"

Zhang Luan was originally in high spirits. In the past, he would have spent some money to enter the main hall and then tried his best to insert the incense sticks in the front row of the incense burner.

But now, he was just dealing with official business casually. As long as he could go back and report to Neng Jin, he would be happy even if he was stuck on the ground outside the hall.

"If I had known, I would have asked your mother to come."

After the incense burning was over, Zhang Luan did not even kneel down, but directly took his son out of the crowded Buddhist temple.

Looking at the devout pilgrims around him, he felt sorry for them and asked, "We are here to show our sincerity to the Buddha. Isn't it said that sincerity can bring success? How could this group of people mess it up like this? Are there better places elsewhere?"

Zhang Yanling nodded and said, "That's true. It is said that other Buddhist temples don't have so many barriers to entry. People who bring their own incense will not be turned away. Only here they charge money... But this is the place designated by the royal family to burn incense. Although the price is high, people still flock to it."

"Ugh!"

Zhang Luan sighed, "Look at this guy, we're both burning incense, what's the difference? Why didn't you tell me earlier? I can burn incense at another place and save a few coins. Isn't it better to go back and eat barbecue skewers with you?"

"Don't want to eat noodles?"

Zhang Yanling asked with a smile.

"You're still not satisfied with eating all the time? Hey, forty cents can buy a lot of barbecue skewers... Speaking of which, I'm a little greedy."

As Zhang Luan spoke, he actually smacked his lips a few times.

Zhang Yanling said, "Dad, you are really amazing. You openly talk about meat in a Buddhist temple and still say that you are a devout Buddhist?"

"Stop talking nonsense, let's go, let's go...Call your brother, let's go eat something delicious."

Zhang Luan is an official now. He is very wealthy and he only chooses the best food when he eats.

This is also related to the fact that he does not have to entertain guests. Generally, people in official circles have to curry favor with their superiors and even entertain colleagues while maintaining a family's livelihood in order to get promoted as soon as possible.

But Zhang Luan had no such worries at all.

As the father-in-law of the prince, he had the support of Li Zisheng, a powerful figure. Usually, Li Zisheng gave him gifts, so he never thought about currying favor with anyone. He didn't even have to think about his future in officialdom when spending money.

The father and son had not taken a few steps when they heard someone kneeling and kowtowing at the entrance of the Buddhist temple, muttering something.

Obviously not everyone has the money to go in and buy incense and burn it, so many people just go through the motions at the entrance of the temple.

Instead, they are the most devout Buddhists.

"... Buddha bless us, the smallpox epidemic has passed, my son is safe and sound, Buddha is merciful, bless the world and save the suffering of the plague... Namo Amitabha..." Zhang Luan suddenly stopped walking when he heard this, walked towards the woman who was speaking, and shouted, "Hey, do you know what you are saying?"

A young boy next to the woman suddenly jumped up, stood in front of the woman, raised his head and shouted: "What are you doing? Why are you yelling so loudly? If you want to bully my mother, you have to step over my dead body!"

The boy was very fierce, about twelve or thirteen years old, with a somewhat childish face, but full of heroism, and a gleam in his eyes.

"Why would I bully your mother?"

Zhang Luan lectured him in the tone of a teacher, "You don't even know who saved you from the smallpox and plague, yet you come here to thank the Buddha? I think you are clearly ungrateful!"

Zhang Yanling hurried over to hold his impulsive father back, smiling and saying, "Don't be offended. My father said that you worshipped the wrong person. I heard that it was a miracle doctor in the city who found the right medicine, which saved the capital and even the entire Ming Dynasty from the plague."

The young man's eyes widened with anger, and he shouted at Zhang Luan: "I think you just want to bully my mother. You bad guy, if you come over again, I won't be polite!"

The young man was targeting Zhang Luan, who looked very distressed.

It was clearly me who used vaccination to save you from disaster. Now instead of thanking me, you come to thank the Buddha?

The feeling of being frustrated when someone else takes the credit for doing good things is too strong...I come to worship Buddha, but Buddha is stealing the credit for my good deeds?
Then I might as well just worship myself!

"What, you wanna fight?"

Zhang Heling appeared beside Zhang Luan at the right time. At this time, he was surrounded by a group of people.

The young man who was throwing a tantrum was stunned when he saw this scene.

How come an old man who likes to molest decent women comes out with a large group of people?
This posture looks very ferocious!

The woman who was kneeling on the ground stood up quickly, pulled her son behind her, and kept bowing and kowtowing: "Sirs... Sirs, my son is ignorant and has disturbed you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Mom, these people were rude first."

The boy seemed very unconvinced.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Little brother, my master is just telling you that you have worshipped the wrong temple regarding the smallpox epidemic. This has nothing to do with the Buddha enshrined in the temple. If you want to thank someone, you should thank the person who invented the method of using medicine to prevent the epidemic."

The woman said, "I don't know these things. Thank you for your reminder, young master."

The young man said angrily: "Who are you calling little brother? How old are you?"

"Damn it." Zhang Heling stepped forward and glared at the young man, "I gave you the face? You dare to order my brother around, are you asking for a beating?"

"Come on, who's afraid of whom?"

The boy had obviously never suffered from the abuses of society and looked fearless.

The woman was sensible. She quickly pulled her son to hide in a crowd of people in the distance, saying as she walked, "Don't cause trouble, don't cause trouble. If something happens, the clan members won't help us, and we will definitely suffer a great loss. Let's go, let's go."

……

……

A small riot, which was over quickly.

Zhang Luan sighed, "The world is really going downhill and people's minds are no longer the same as they used to be. How come it doesn't work when we reason with them?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, since you know that you can't explain it rationally, why do you still want to explain it? What they said is not wrong. They resolved the disaster and thanked the gods and Buddhas they revered in their hearts. In fact, there is nothing wrong with this...How many people really know who is behind them helping them resolve the disaster?"

"you……"

Zhang Luan wanted to criticize his son's words, but in the end he found himself speechless.

Zhang Yanling said again: "That boy from before looked quite brave. Big brother, how about taking him back as your younger brother?"

"Just that kid? I can beat ten of them by myself."

Zhang Heling is bragging again.

Zhang Yanling instructed Chang Shun who was following behind him: "Go ask who that boy is and what his family situation is like, and see if he can be recruited to do some odd jobs... I think he is quite courageous and filial, so it would be great if he could be called over to help with the work."

"What do you mean? Second brother, he scolded you, and you still invited him to come and work?"

Zhang Heling looked puzzled.

Zhang Yanling leaned over and whispered, "Brother, didn't you realize that the boy has no father?"

"How did you know? So what?"

Zhang Heling asked with a frown.

"Didn't you hear his mother say that the clan members won't help him if something goes wrong? That means his father is gone, and the clan members won't care about them anymore... This kid is so reckless, if he does something evil in the future, no one will help him if something goes wrong. How convenient is that? Big brother, if you have any difficult problems, will those fans who follow you do it for you?"

Zhang Yanling found that it was useless to talk to Zhang Heling about any profound principles, so he had to find another way.

Zhang Heling pondered it carefully, and slapped his thigh fiercely: "Oh, brother, I find that you are smart. With my group of people, they all have families to support. Not to mention doing something illegal, even if they beat people up, they have to pay them resettlement fees in advance. It is more convenient to find someone with no background to do the job. That guy!"

Chang Shun, who was listening to the two brothers arguing, hurried over and said, "Master, I'm here."

Zhang Heling said, "Hurry up and catch up with that guy and ask him if he wants to join us."

Zhang Yanling reminded again: "Try to be polite when speaking. Even if he disagrees now, you must find out where he lives and come back to recruit him.

"We are currently expanding our team and need all kinds of talent. If you find a suitable candidate, feel free to introduce him to us. It won't be a loss for you."

(End of this chapter)