Early this morning, the countryman in front of me brought pears to sell on the street. His pears were sweet and fragrant, but the price was very expensive.
The old man in ragged clothes passed by and wanted to ask him for a pear, but was scolded and scolded by him.
The two were entangled in the market, gradually attracting the attention of passers-by.
Seeing that there were more and more people watching, the old Taoist still didn't look shy at all. He just pointed at the cart of big pears and laughed and asked:
"I think there are hundreds of pears in your cart. I just want to beg for one to satisfy my craving. It won't cost you much. Why are you angry?"
The villagers watching the fun on the side also started to boo.
"Just give him one to try. What a big deal."
"Just pick the worst-looking bad pear and give it to him. It's not worth much."
"Everyone doesn't look up when doing business, why are they so stingy?"
…
And the countryman was also said to be anxious, and he refused to agree even if he was holding his neck.
"All of my pears are crisp and sweet. If you want to eat them, just buy them with money. They cost five cents each. Why should you give them to him for free?"
"Aye and I planted these pears by ourselves, fetching water and removing insects every day, and taking care of them carefully for more than half a year. If he is seriously ill, or his hands and feet are disabled, what's the point of giving him two? Since he has You have hands and feet, so why can’t you buy pears with the proceeds of your own labor and have to beg shamelessly?”
Perhaps because of the country people's rigidity, they were a bit dumbfounded. A young waiter from a nearby teahouse was called by his shopkeeper to give him some instructions. He held three to five copper coins in his hand and ran towards here.
"That Taoist priest, the kindness of my shopkeeper allows me to buy pears with you for five copper coins. This is also the rule of doing business, so don't bother me anymore."
After saying that, he handed the five copper coins to the countryman.
The countryman's face improved a little this time, and he picked an attractive big pear from the cart and handed it to the boy.
"Blessings are immeasurable, Heavenly Lord, please help me thank you, the layman, for me."
After singing a promise, the old man took the pear from the waiter's hand with a smile, then turned to face the crowd and shouted loudly.
"Everyone, we monks are not stingy. I have some good pears here, so let me take them out and invite everyone to share them."
Someone in the crowd thought it was funny and stood up and asked him:
"It's so strange for you, a monk, that since you have pears, why don't you take them out and eat them yourself instead of asking others for them?"
The old Taoist blew up the dust and was not annoyed, he just smiled and let it go.
"I need to use this pear core as a seed to grow big, sweet pears."
After saying that, he just wiped the surface of the pear with his tattered sleeve, and then started to eat it. After a while, there was only one pear core left.
The onlookers were also very curious about his words, and they all stared intently to see how he used the pear core in his hand to grow pears for everyone to eat.
After eating the pears and sipping the juice on his hand, the old Taoist took out a small hoe from his arms, took two steps outside the crowd, found a remote place, dug a small hole a few inches deep, and dug a small hole a few inches deep. Bury the pear core and cover it carefully with soil.
Then, he turned around and asked:
"Is there any layman who is willing to give me some water to water it so that it can grow quickly?"
After being whetted by the veteran's magical operation, the kind-hearted shopkeeper responded with a smile.
“I wonder if Changwo Tang is available?”
Wo Tang means hot water. Using hot water to water plants is obviously a joke from the shopkeeper.
Unexpectedly, the old Taoist actually nodded seriously.
"There is nothing you can't do."
Now the shopkeeper became interested and asked the boy to pour out the cold water and bring a new basin of hot water.
The Taoist priest took the hot water and poured it down little by little along the place where the pear cores had been planted.
After a while, buds sprouted from the newly dug soil pit, and gradually grew into a leafy pear tree. Then it blossomed and bore fruit, growing big and good pears.
Everyone was fascinated. Even the countryman who had had an argument with the Taoist priest before was staring at the scene in front of him.
"Come on, come on, let me treat everyone to some pears."
Climbing up the tree quickly and in a few clicks, the old Taoist picked a handful of pears and jumped down from the treetop to share them with everyone watching.
After going back and forth like this three or four times, all the big pears from the tree were harvested, and even the countryman got one.
Looking at the pears in his hand, the countryman's Adam's apple squirmed. After hesitating for a while, he took out five copper coins from his bag and returned them to the old man.
"I took your pears, and I will give you the money back."
The veteran didn't seem to have thought of the other party's move. He was stunned for a moment, but he smiled and did not accept it.
After delivering the pears, the Taoist priest took out the shovel and worked hard for a long time before knocking down the pear tree. He then carried the branches and leaves on his back and left calmly.
Until the old man walked away, everyone could not stop talking about the scene that had happened before.
Growing pears out of thin air for everyone to eat is simply a trick that only gods can use!
But at this moment, the countryman who returned to his cart suddenly cried out
"Where are my pears? Where's my cart of big pears? Who stole it from me?"
Everyone was startled and turned around to look, and sure enough, the cart of big pears that the countryman had pushed had disappeared without a trace. Those who were alert enough had already reacted and looked at the half-eaten pears in their hands.
I still don’t understand why, but it’s clear that the master who played the world of mortals couldn’t stand the stinginess and rigidity of this countryman, and deliberately used a trick to tease him.
"It's the demon, it must be the demon. He took away my cart of big pears! That's what my family of six will need for the second half of the year. How can our family live without that money?!"
The countryman's eyes were red, and he pushed away the crowd and chased the old man in the direction he left.
However, not long after, he returned the same way and found only a wooden stake like a car handle in the corner of the wall. However, the Taoist had long since disappeared without a trace.
A passerby pointed to the section of the cart handle and exclaimed, surprised to find that the shape of the break would exactly match the break of the countryman's cart handle. Apparently, it was the old man who had used a trick to steal the countryman's pear.
The country man who had lost all hope was like a piece of wood, standing motionless in front of his cart, as if he were a walking zombie.
Some passers-by couldn't bear it, and they had eaten the pears given by the old Taoist before, so they took out a few pennies from their sleeves and put them on the cart.
It's just a drop in the bucket. More people feel they have taken advantage and have sneaked away long ago. They don't care about the life and death of the countryman's family. After collecting it for a long time, the countryman only received one-tenth of the money.
It was past noon, and the autumn sunshine lazily shone on the pedestrians, but it could not bring any warmth to the country people.
As the cart passed by a waterside, the villagers suddenly stopped and stared at the river in silence.
Just at this moment, a young man's hand with sharp bones stretched out from the side, carrying a slightly worn money bag and presented it to him.
…
Thanks to Shaotiansi for the 300 starting coin reward.