At dawn, in a Vinaya School temple in Great Li's Yuzhou, the middle-aged scholar finished his vegetarian meal, cooked himself a large bowl of eight-treasure congee over a small brazier, and, after eating, sat down at the table to read.
Another day in this fleeting life; upon opening a book, the window light shone in.
The young monk came to knock on the window again as a reminder. "Mr. Chen, clouds are rising in the mountains. Would you like to go have a look?"
The scholar set down his book and said with a gentle smile, "All right, wait a moment. I'll change into another pair of boots."
After three straight days of heavy rain, the spring chill in the mountains cut to the bone. The middle-aged scholar wore coarse padded cotton clothes for warmth, deerhide boots, and carried a climbing staff.
Earlier, he had also made a vine walking stick from local materials for the young monk who often accompanied him up the mountain to watch the clouds. Whenever they rested on the mountain path, planting their staffs was like setting down a monk's tin staff.
Mists curled through the temple. One large and one small, each holding a staff, passed the Life Release Pond near the main hall. The ripples gleamed; crucian carp and carp gathered by the bridge. The Water Descendants were like old friends, recognizing the sound of his staff.
The young monk had climbed the mountain alone several times during his free time, going up to watch the clouds by himself. Yet for some reason, once he passed the halfway point, he would grow tired and breathless, needing to stop and rest again and again.
But whenever he climbed with this poor yet neatly living middle-aged scholar, it became far easier. The young monk could