Chapter 223: 107 That Year (First Watch)
Translator: 549690339
Siji Town at the foot of Baitou Mountain has a simple and honest folk customs.
There are several dozen big and small villages surrounding Siji Town, where the people live and work in peace and contentment.
A restaurant called the Fat Chef is the best and most luxurious one in the town. In the evening, there are few patrons inside; the proprietress sits behind the counter, playing a mobile phone game.
Two men walk in. The proprietress looks up and sees their suits. They don’t seem like locals, so she figures they’re from the big city, and she hurriedly greets them with enthusiasm.
“Please come in! What would you like to eat? Our house specialty is red bean stewed fish… ‘
As the proprietress introduces the dishes and pours tea for the two men. they
display serious expressions and don’t smile. Rather, they appear unapproachable; she tries her best to be extra cautious as she serves them.
The two order four dishes and a bottle of wine, and one of the men with a scar on his left cheek says, “Don’t drink too much, second brother.”
The man called “second brother” relents on the wine and says, “Just like this, then. Serve the dishes quickly.”
“Alright, please wait a moment.” The proprietress heads to the kitchen to relay the order.
“Big brother, we’ve been here in Siji Town for a week without finding any clues.
Is it possible that Li Chan gave us the wrong information?”
The man ponders for a moment: “Let’s wait a bit more. Finding someone is never an easy task.”
The proprietress walks over with a pot of tea refills and overhears the conversation. She wonders to herself why so many people have come to town recently looking for someone. One group leaves, and another arrives soon after.
The man catches a glimpse of the proprietress and asks, “Ma’am, could I inquire about something with you?”
The proprietress smiles and says, “My family has lived in Siji Town for generations, so I Imow everything within ten miles.”
The man says, “Twelve years ago, did any of the locals or people in nearby villages encounter an abandoned baby girl who was then adopted?”
After pondering for a moment, the proprietress shakes her head, “I’m not sure about that. Master Wu Xin from Jiyue Temple has indeed adopted quite a few baby girls, but their ages don’t match what you’re talking about. If you want to find an abandoned child, you should report it to the nearby police station, as they have adoption records.”
The two men exchange glances and fall silent.
If only they could report it to the police, but the problem is, they can’t raise a fuss about this matter.
Their expressions gradually become solemn.
After finishing their meal, the two men pay the bill and leave. In the corner, a man who has been quietly sipping wine raises his head, his eyes sharp and glistening with a strange gleam.
“Ma’am, I’d like to pay.”
The proprietress does a quick calculation: “That will be one hundred and twenty-one Chinese Yuan, please.”
The man slaps two one-hundred-yuan notes on the counter. “No need for change.”
The proprietress grins, “Are you also asking about someone?”
She feels the man looks familiar, as she’d seen him a few months ago.
Because the man has a beauty mark on his chin, he’s easy to remember. The man smiles, “Smart proprietress.”
She jokes, “Alright, enough flattery. What do you want to know?”
“Have there been many people recently asking about the young monks at Jiyue Temple?”
“One person left two days ago, another came yesterday to ask, and you’re the third wave.”
“Do you know anything about Master Ming Jing from Jiyue Temple?”
The proprietress rolls her eyes at him, “When you said you wanted to find someone, I didn’t think it would be Master Ming Jing. Everyone in town knows her; she’s now the young lady of the Zhus from Jiangzhou. Did you just come out of the mountains or something?”
“No, I wanted to ask about Master Ming Jing’s older female disciple, Master Ming Xin.”
The proprietress scoffs, “Master Wu Xin and Master Ming Jing are truly compassionate people. How could we casually reveal their news? How do I know if you have good intentions?”
The man pulls out a stack of Chinese Yuan from his wallet and places it on the counter. “I understand how the proprietress feels. However, I’m inquiring about Master Ming Xin on behalf of someone else. She might be the long-lost birth daughter of my employer. Sister monks finding their families is a good thing too, right?”
Upon hearing this, the proprietress decides it makes sense, and she happily accepts the money. After giving it some thought, she says, “Master Ming Xin often comes down the mountain to purchase supplies, and the townspeople are quite familiar with her. She has a lively and cheerful personality and loves to smile. She greets everyone with warmth, calling them ‘big brother’ or ‘big sister.’ Moreover, she has a strong sense of justice. One time, she saw an elderly woman being bullied by her daughter-in -law in town and stepped in to argue with the daughter-in-law. In the end, of course, Master Ming Xin won the argument. People always say that Master Ming Xin doesn’t seem like a Buddhist disciple at all, but rather resembles a knight-errant with her penchant for fighting for justice..”
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