"What was that movement just now?" Lu Wuwei frowned and looked at the Buddhist temple and asked in confusion.
"I don't know." Guan Zai shook his head and looked at Zuo Qing, "What did you mean when you just said that he was exchanging my brother's life?"
Zuo Qing turned his back to them, staring at the door of the Buddhist temple, clenching his fists tightly, his eyes showing deep sadness and pain, and did not answer this question.
He knew that Ye Fan succeeded.
Squeak——!
The door of the Buddhist temple slowly opened. A figure in black clothes stood behind the door, looking up at the golden sun in the sky, like a statue of a god who had escaped from the world. Two lines of tears fell from the corners of his eyes, dripping gently.
on the ground.
On his chest, a glazed heart was shining.
Seeing that face, Lu Wuwei and Guan Zai froze on the spot at the same time.
Guan Zai stared at him blankly, with unprecedented shock in his eyes, and his body could not help but tremble slightly...
"Didn't you say...he is dead?" Guan Zai said hoarsely.
Zuo Qing said nothing.
Guan Zai came back to his senses, quickly stepped onto the last step, and ran towards the figure in front of the Buddhist temple. This time, Zuo Qing did not stop him.
"Brother Zhou Ping!" he shouted at the figure.
Zhou Ping turned his head slightly. Under the sun, his tear-stained face was filled with guilt and sadness.
"Brother Guan Zai..."
Guan Zai ran up to him with a sincere smile on his face, "Brother Zhou Ping, it's great that you're okay!"
Zhou Ping was stunned for a long time, with a hint of bitterness in his eyes.
He shook his head and said:
"Brother Guan Zai... now, I want to be alone."
Shut up for a moment.
Zhou Ping raised his right foot and gently stepped across the threshold of the Buddhist hall. An undetectable sword light flashed through the space, and he disappeared completely.
Guan Zai stood there blankly. After Zhou Ping left, his eyes followed the door of the Buddhist temple and looked in...
In the solemn and grand Buddhist temple, the figures of the six heroic spirits have disappeared.
Only a golden Buddha body with closed eyes and a smile was left, sitting quietly on the ground, no longer alive at all.
Guan Zai's pupils suddenly contracted!
…
Xijin City.
Sanjiu Local Food Restaurant.
The black-shirted figure stepped out of nothingness and stood at the door of this short, old local restaurant.
This local restaurant is located on the edge of the alley. The sign has turned yellow due to the weather and the sun, and the menu posted at the door is also tattered. Fortunately, the reputation of this restaurant is pretty good in the eyes of old customers, even though it is in a remote location.
There are still customers who are willing to eat here occasionally.
The door of the store was open. Standing at the steps at the door of the store, Zhou Ping could clearly hear several customers in the store talking and laughing, saying that his children had received some certificates at school yesterday, and that the bricks on the construction site were extremely hot today.
I took my wife and kids to a restaurant in the city center, but unfortunately I still don’t have any money in my pocket...
There is a strong aroma of vegetables floating in the air. It is the pungent aroma of green peppers and minced garlic stir-fried, it is the sweet aroma of rock sugar mixed with oil, it is the delicious aroma of fried onions and meat... These aromas are closely related to the gossip between the guests' mouths.
Mixed together, they exude a unique and reassuring atmosphere.
This is the smell of the marketplace, this is the smell of the mortal world.
This is his home.
Zhou Ping stood under the steps, looking at his third uncle who was busy cooking and serving dishes in the store, feeling complicated and heavy in his heart.
The third uncle had just served a plate of fried meat with onions to the guests. When he turned around, he saw Zhou Ping standing at the foot of the steps like an idiot, and raised his eyebrows.
"You kid, you still know how to come back?" Third uncle grinned.
Zhou Ping opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
When the third uncle saw Zhou Ping motionless, he clicked his tongue.
"Why are you just standing there at the door? Come in and help! There are a lot of guests today. Third uncle, I have been working as the boss, cook, and waiter at the same time. I am extremely busy."
The third uncle wiped his greasy hands on his apron, walked down the steps quickly, grabbed the dazed Zhou Ping's wrist, and walked into the store.
As he walked, he murmured:
"You asked me for a month's leave at that time. How many months have passed? I thought you didn't plan to come back. I have to agree with you first. The salary for these few months... I
I’ll deduct two hundred yuan from you!”
"Also, the boy named Ye you found to replace you is not reliable! He has been helping here for only a month, and he actually ran away... The dishes can't be washed clean, and the floor can't be swept.
It's so clean, I don't know what else to do...
It’s better to be my nephew!”
Zhou Ping was pulled into the house by him, and then his third uncle let go of him and quickly walked into the kitchen, leaving him standing there alone, a little at a loss.
"Hey, Xiao Zhou is back?" An old customer next to him who had just arrived smiled when he saw Zhou Ping, "order some fried vegetables and fried shredded pork with wild rice... Tell your third uncle, give me more
Put some shredded pork!"
Zhou Ping subconsciously picked up the order book from the small table, wrote down two dishes with a ballpoint pen, and then walked quickly towards the kitchen.
In this fragrant smell of cooking and chatting and laughing, everything seems to be back to its original state.
There are indeed many guests today.
By the time Zhou Ping finished his work and sat at the table, it was almost two o'clock.
He sat at the table near the door, with his rolled-up sleeves yet to be put down. He stared blankly at the alley outside the door and the sky at the end of the alley, wondering what he was thinking.
The third uncle walked out of the kitchen and saw Zhou Ping's lost look. After a moment of silence, he walked back to the kitchen.
At this moment, a figure appeared at the door of the local restaurant.
When Zhou Ping saw that man, he was suddenly startled.
I saw Zuo Qing, dressed in casual clothes, walking up the steps of the local restaurant unhurriedly, pushing open the restaurant door and walking in.
"Is that you?" Zhou Ping knew Zuo Qing.
Zuo Qing smiled slightly, turned to look at the menu next to him, and said:
"Can you order me a tomato scrambled egg? And a bowl of rice."
Zhou Ping paused and said, "Okay."
He stood up and sent the written menu to the kitchen, while Zuo Qing sat alone in the open space of the store, looking around with his back straight.
Not long after, Zhou Ping came out with a plate of vegetables and a large bowl of white rice.
Putting the dishes in front of Zuo Qing, Zhou Ping sat across from him quietly.
"How do you know I'm here?" Zhou Ping asked.
Zuo Qing took out a pair of chopsticks from the basket next to him, poured the scrambled tomato eggs on the rice, and said while stirring: "This is the only place you can go."
"I know... I shouldn't leave at this time, but..." Zhou Ping paused, a look of depression appeared in his eyes, "I'm very confused right now."
"I can understand." Zuo Qing nodded, "I'm here just to bring you a few words."