Chapter 935
Why Bring Up That Sore Word?
After taking in Zhu Bajie, the pilgrimage team grew from four to five people—Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Chu Yang, and the white dragon horse.
Along the way, Pigsy's addition added a lot of liveliness to the group.
This pig is talkative and chatty; its mouth never stops moving, even when it's walking.
What kind of gossip is this about the Heavenly Court? What about peeping at Chang'e at the Peach Banquet? What about being banished to the mortal realm and mistakenly reincarnated as a pig?
It was the same old story over and over again; Sun Wukong was sick of hearing it.
"You idiot, can't you shut up for a minute?" Sun Wukong said irritably. "Your mouth is even more dangerous than your rake; it's giving this old man a headache."
Pigsy chuckled, "Brother Monkey, you don't understand. Walking around without talking is so boring. I, Old Pig, am a born lively person; making me stay silent is worse than killing me."
Sun Wukong rolled his eyes and ignored him.
Chu Yang walked at the back of the group, watching the monkey and pig bickering in front of him, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.
This scene is much more interesting than what is described in the book.
After leaving Gao Laozhuang, they traveled west along the official road, passing through several small mountains and wading through two streams.
The scenery along the way gradually changed from hills to plains, and the view opened up considerably.
On the distant horizon, a pale blue mountain silhouette appears and disappears, like a stroke of light ink lightly applied to rice paper.
The early summer breeze carries the scent of grass and earth, and the locust trees by the roadside are covered with clusters of white flowers, their sweet fragrance filling the air and attracting bees to buzz around them.
"It smells so good!" Pigsy sniffed hard, his mouth practically watering. "If we picked these locust flowers and steamed them, mixed with some flour and salt, the taste would be absolutely amazing."
Chu Yang laughed, "Bajie certainly knows how to eat."
Pigsy patted his round belly and said proudly, "Of course! I may not have many other skills, but my mouth is absolutely divine. I can tell what tastes good and what doesn't just by smelling it."
Sun Wukong scoffed, "That's called greed, not brilliance."
Pigsy snorted, "Brother Monkey, what do you know? This is called food appreciation, it's a science!"
Tang Sanzang shook his head and sighed helplessly.
These two apprentices are both quite the troublemakers.
They traveled for five or six days, and the weather gradually got warmer.
The afternoon sun was scorching, and there wasn't a single large tree to provide shade along the official road; it was so hot that people were sweating profusely.
Pigsy walked the slowest, carrying his rake, panting heavily with every step, sweat streaming down his face and soaking the hair on his neck.
"I can't take it anymore..." He plopped down on a roadside rock, panting heavily. "Master, let's rest. I'm getting roasted like a pig from the sun."
Tang Sanzang reined in his horse and glanced back at him.
"Wuneng, how far have we gone before you can't go on?"
Pigsy said with a pained expression, "Master, of course you're not tired riding a horse. But I, this old pig, weigh at least three hundred pounds, walking under the blazing sun is more tiring than pushing a millstone."
Sun Wukong jumped back from the front and said, "Master, there's a village about three or four miles ahead. I just went up to Heaven and checked. Why don't we go there to rest and get some water?"
Tang Sanzang nodded: "Very well, Wuneng really can't walk anymore."
Chu Yang took out a water pouch from his storage bag and handed it to Zhu Bajie.
"Bajie, have a sip of water first."
Pigsy took the water bag and gulped down most of it before finally letting out a long breath.
"Thank you so much, Brother Chu Yang. You're truly my savior."
Chu Yang smiled and took the water pouch back from his hand.
After walking for about half an hour, a village indeed appeared ahead.
This village is slightly larger than Gao Lao Zhuang, nestled on a gentle slope. A clear stream meanders in front of the village, its waters shimmering in the sunlight. Weeping willows line both banks, their branches drooping like green curtains, swaying gently in the breeze.
A stone bridge stands at the entrance of the village, its surface covered in moss, looking quite old. A wooden sign stands at the bridgehead, with the three characters "Liuxi Village" crookedly written on it.
Several shirtless children were playing in the river. Hearing the sound of horses' hooves, they all looked up and peered out curiously.
"Master, this is it," Sun Wukong said.
Tang Sanzang looked around at the village before him and nodded in satisfaction.
"This place is beautiful, with clear waters and lush mountains; it's a lovely place."
When Pigsy saw the clear stream, he immediately perked up.
"Water! Great! I'm going to soak in the river and cool off!"
With that, he threw down the rake and ran towards the riverbank, hopping and skipping.
"Bajie!" Tang Sanzang called from behind, "You mustn't lose your composure!"
However, Pigsy had already run to the riverbank and plunged into the water, splashing a huge spray of water that frightened the children playing in the water, causing them to scream and scatter in all directions.
Sun Wukong shook his head: "This idiot, he's like a child."
Chu Yang smiled, led the white dragon horse across the stone bridge, and entered the village.
The village streets are narrow, paved with bluestone slabs, and lined with neat rows of houses. White walls and gray tiles, strings of corn and red peppers hang from the eaves, and several hens leisurely peck at the base of the walls. A faint smell of cooking smoke mingles with the scent of earth and grass, creating a peaceful and comfortable atmosphere.
An old man was sitting at the door weaving bamboo baskets. When he saw Chu Yang and Tang Seng walking over, he put down his work and stood up.
"You gentlemen are from out of town, aren't you? What brings you to our Liuxi Village?"
Tang Sanzang put his hands together and bowed.
"Amitabha Buddha, venerable benefactor, I am Xuanzang, a humble monk from the Tang Dynasty in the East, on my way to the Western Paradise to obtain Buddhist scriptures. I am passing through your esteemed place and would like to rest for a while and have some water. Is that alright?"
The old man looked Tang Sanzang up and down, then glanced at Chu Yang and Sun Wukong standing in the distance, a simple and honest smile appearing on his face.
"Oh my, so you're the eminent monk on his pilgrimage! Please come in, please come in! My surname is Chen, everyone calls me Old Chen. Please come into my house and have a seat, I'll go and make you some tea."
Tang Sanzang thanked him repeatedly and followed Old Chen into the courtyard.
Chu Yang tied the white dragon horse to the locust tree at the entrance of the courtyard, and then went to the river to call Pigsy back.
Pigsy was soaking wet, water droplets dripping down his bristles and leaving a trail of dark water stains on the ground.
"Brother Chu Yang, that river water is so refreshing!" he said with a contented expression. "I soaked in it for a while, and all my fatigue disappeared."
Chu Yang looked at him helplessly: "Bajie, at least dry yourself off before you go to see them. Going in like this, making a mess of their house, what kind of behavior is that?"
Pigsy scratched his head, chuckled, and shook the water off his body.
"Okay, okay, I'll wipe it."
Chu Yang took a dry cloth out of his storage bag and threw it to him.
Pigsy wiped himself haphazardly a couple of times and then followed Chu Yang into Old Chen's courtyard. Old Chen's courtyard wasn't large, but it was kept clean and tidy. A jujube tree stood in the center, its dense canopy casting a large patch of shade. Under the tree were a stone table and several stone benches. Tang Sanzang was sitting on a bench drinking tea, while Sun Wukong squatted in the jujube tree, peeling a wild fruit he'd somehow found.
"Sit down, sit down," Old Chen gestured to Pigsy and Chu Yang, then brought over two bowls of cool tea. "You've come a long way; you must be tired from your journey."
Chu Yang thanked him, picked up the iced tea, and took a sip. The tea was slightly bitter with a sweet aftertaste, carrying a refreshing fragrance of wild chrysanthemums, and was very thirst-quenching.
Pigsy picked up the bowl and gulped it down in one go.
"Sir, this tea is quite good, do you have any more?"
Old Chen happily poured him another bowl.
The group sat in the courtyard for a while, resting and chatting about everyday matters. Chu Yang learned from Old Chen that Liuxi Village had about a hundred households who made a living by farming. Although they weren't wealthy, they were comfortable enough to eat and wear.
"The best thing about our village is this Willow Creek," Old Chen said with a smile, pointing to the stream in front of the village. "The water is sweet. Rice irrigated with this water makes for incredibly fragrant and sticky rice, so much better than what you can buy outside."
Pigsy's eyes lit up immediately when he heard the word "rice".
"Grandpa, could I have a taste?"
Old Chen laughed heartily, "Of course! You'll all be having dinner at my house tonight. I'll have my wife cook extra rice so you can try something new."
Pigsy was overjoyed: "That's wonderful! Old man, I, Pigsy, thank you in advance!"
Tang Sanzang shook his head slightly and murmured a Buddhist chant, but did not stop him.
……
As evening fell, the sunset painted the entire village in a golden-red hue.
Old Chen's wife was a kind-looking old woman who was an excellent cook.
She brought out a large bowl of white rice, which was indeed as Old Chen had said—fragrant and sticky, with plump, glistening grains that emitted a faint aroma of rice.
The side dishes were also plentiful—stir-fried loofah, cucumber salad, braised tofu, steamed eggplant, and a dish of homemade pickled green beans.
Although they are all home-style dishes, they are made to look, smell, and taste amazing, making them very appetizing.
Pigsy didn't need anyone to invite him; he sat down and began to wolf down his food.
He opened and closed his big mouth, gulping down bowl after bowl of rice at such a speed that Old Chen and his wife were dumbfounded.
"This great...master has quite the appetite," Old Chen stammered.
Chu Yang smiled awkwardly: "Please excuse my poor appearance. My senior brother here has been traveling all day and is starving."
Pigsy mumbled incoherently, "Delicious! So delicious! Old man, this rice is absolutely amazing! I've eaten at least eight hundred or a thousand kinds of rice, but yours is the most fragrant ever!"
Old Chen's wife was so pleased with the praise that she immediately went to the kitchen and ladled out a large basin of it.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.
"Father, Mother, I'm back."
A clear, crisp female voice came from the doorway.
Chu Yang turned his head and saw a young woman walk into the courtyard.
The girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a light green cloth dress, with her long, black hair braided into a thick plait hanging down her back. Her face wasn't stunningly beautiful, but she was very pretty, with bright, almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, and slightly upturned lips, exuding a cheerful and straightforward charm unique to country girls.
She had a bamboo basket slung over her arm, filled with freshly picked mulberry leaves, still glistening with dew.
"Cui'er, you're back!" Old Chen greeted with a smile. "Come and meet our distinguished guests. These are pilgrims from the Tang Dynasty in the East, passing through our village and stopping by for a rest."
The woman named Cui'er paused slightly when she saw the courtyard full of unfamiliar faces, then nodded generously to everyone.
"Hello everyone, my name is Chen Cuier, and I am Uncle Chen's daughter."
Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha, greetings to the female benefactor."
Chu Yang nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Sun Wukong squatted on the jujube tree and waved lazily.
And Pigsy—
Pigsy's chopsticks stopped in mid-air.
He still had half a mouthful of rice in his mouth, but forgot to chew it. His small eyes were staring straight at Chen Cuier, his mouth was slightly open, and his saliva almost dripped into the bowl.
Chu Yang noticed Zhu Bajie's unusual behavior, and his heart sank slightly.
broken.
This pig is going to fall into its old habit again.
Chen Cuier placed the bamboo basket at the door and walked to the table to sit down.
"Dad, the silkworm rearing has been busy all day. Sister-in-law Chen said her silkworms are about to spin silk, and she asked me to pick some extra mulberry leaves and take them to her."
Old Chen nodded: "You've had a long day, go and eat."
He turned to the crowd and explained, "My daughter works in the silkworm rearing room in the village. Every day she goes out before dawn to pick mulberry leaves to feed the silkworms and doesn't come back until dark. She's very efficient; everyone in the village praises her."
Chen Cuier said reproachfully, "Father, you're praising me in front of the guests again. It makes me feel embarrassed."
As she spoke, she picked up her bowl and lowered her head to eat.
Pigsy finally came to his senses, swallowed the rice in his mouth, and cleared his throat.
"Um... Miss Cui'er, aren't you tired picking mulberry leaves all by yourself?"
Chen Cuier looked up at him and was startled by his pig-like face, almost dropping her chopsticks.
However, she quickly calmed down, after all, her father had already introduced them as people on a pilgrimage, not bad people.
"It's alright, you get used to it and it doesn't feel tiring anymore," she replied politely.
Pigsy chuckled twice: "Young lady, you're really hardworking. I, Old Pig... I mean, I'm quite capable too. Back in Gao Village, I did everything: plowing fields, carrying water, chopping wood, feeding pigs."
Sun Wukong chuckled from the tree: "Fool, you're a pig yourself, and you want to feed other pigs? That's like feeding yourself!"
Pigsy blushed and glared at Monkey King in embarrassment and anger.
"Brother Monkey, can you please stop bringing up things you don't want to talk about?"
Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
Chen Cuier couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, her almond-shaped eyes curving into two crescent moons.
When Pigsy saw her smile, he felt a ticklish, indescribable comfort, as if something had scratched his heart.
After the meal, Old Chen arranged for everyone to rest at his home.
Old Chen's house wasn't big, but it had two guest rooms. Tang Sanzang stayed in one, while Sun Wukong said he didn't need to sleep and could just meditate in the jujube tree at night. Chu Yang and Zhu Bajie stayed in the other room. (End of Chapter)