When I was a child, I was physically weak because of my family's poverty. I didn't go to school until I was nine years old. Because of my family's poverty and weakness, my mother sometimes wanted to teach me to go to school, but she was afraid that I would be insulted by other people, and she couldn't pay the tuition fee, so I couldn't read a word until I was nine years old.

It is possible that I will never have the chance to study. Perhaps I will never have the chance to study in my life. Although my mother knew how important it was to study,

the monthly tuition fee of three to four dongs made it difficult for her. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it," he said. She was hesitant to

decide, and time waited for no one, so I may have grown into my teens. It is natural for a poor

and illiterate teenager to go into a little trade - to get a small basket and sell peanuts, boiled peas, or cherry

peaches or whatever. Or else to be apprenticed. My mother loved me very much, but if I could have been apprenticed or made a few hundred dollars a day selling cherries in baskets along the street

she might not have been so adamant about it. Poverty is more powerful than love.

One day Uncle Liu came by chance. I say "by chance" because he didn't visit us often. He was a very

rich man, and although he had no distinction between rich and poor in his mind, his wealth kept him occupied all the time, and he had little time to

visit his poor friends. Upon entering, he saw me. "How old is the child? Does he go to school?" He asked my mother.

His voice was so booming, (in his drunkenness, he used to pride himself on learning to shout Yu Zhenting's "The Money Leopard") his clothes

were so gorgeous, his eyes so bright, his face and hands so white and fat, that it made me feel like I had probably committed

some crime. Our hut, with its broken tables and benches and earthen bed, could scarcely contain the vibrations of his voice. Waiting for my mother to finish her

answer, Uncle Liu immediately decided, "Tomorrow morning I will come and take him to school, school money, books, big sister you don't have to

manage!" How high my heart beat, who knows how it is to go to school!

The next day, like an undignified puppy, I went to school with this broad. The school was an improved

private school, in a Taoist temple more than half a mile from my home. The temple was not very big, but full of smells: the first

into the gate there was a smell of smoke, followed by the smell of saccharin, (there was a workshop for making sugar balls and sugar cubes), and then

inwards there was the smell of toilets, and other odors. The school is in the main hall, and the huts on either side of the hall are occupied by Taoist priests and their

families. The hall was dark and cold. The statues of the gods were blocked with yellow cloths, and on the offering table were the tablets of Sage Kong. The students

were all sitting facing west, and there were about thirty of them in one ****. There is a blackboard on the west wall - this is the "improved" private school. The teacher

surnamed Li, an extremely rigid and caring middle-aged man. Uncle Liu and Mr. Li "yelled" a lot, and then taught me to

worship saints and teachers. My teacher gave me a copy of Earth Rhymes and a copy of the Three Character Classic. I then, became

a student.

Since I became a student, I went to Uncle Liu's house from time to time. His mansion had two large courtyards, and in the courtyard

dozens of houses were out on the porch. Behind the courtyard, there was a fairly large garden. The left, right, front and back of the mansion are all his

houses, if those houses are lined up, can occupy half of the street. In addition, he had several stores.

Whenever I went there, he would greet me with a meal or give me some snacks that I had not seen before.

He was never cold to me because I was a

bitter child; he was a rich man, but he was not proud of his wealth.

When I was transferred from private school to public school, Uncle Liu came to help again. By this time, most of his property was

half gone. He was a broad master, and he only knew how to spend money, not how to calculate it. When people ate him, he willingly taught them to

eat; when people cheated him, he laughed. Part of his property was sold, and part of it people swindled,

he did not care; his laughter was as loud as ever.

By the time I graduated from high school, he was penniless, with nothing left but the backyard

garden. However, at this point in time, if he had been willing to use his mind to restructure his estate, he would have had the means to teach himself

his own abundance of food and clothing, because much of his property was swindled away by others. But he would not go to a lawyer; poor and

rich were exactly the same in his mind, and if, at this time, he had ceased to spend his money freely, he could at least have preserved

that garden, and the estate outside the city. But he was good and kind. In spite of the starvation of his own children, in spite of his own

self-imposed suffering, he ran schools for the poor, gruel factories, and other charitable works. He forgot himself.

It was at this time that he and I were closest to each other. I was a volunteer teacher at the school for the poor. He gave out food and rice, and I went to help

investigate and distribute it. In my heart, I know very well that releasing food and money is only prolonging the suffering of the poor, but not enough to stop death. However, to see Uncle Liu so enthusiastic, so sincere, I can not care and he

debate, but had to also contribute, even if I debated with him, I will not win, human feelings are often able to defeat reason

intelligence. Before I left the country, Uncle Liu's son died. And after that, his garden went out of hand. He joined a temple

as a monk, his wife and young lady joined a nunnery, and by his character, he seemed bound to take the path of Zen avoidance.

But because of his habits, people always thought that he could only recite the sutra and give alms to the monks, and

would never take the precepts to become a monk. He has actually become a monk, and in the past, he ate the delicacies of the sea, wore silk and silk,

he also whored and gambled.

Now, he ate one meal a day in the fall and wore a summer cloth robe. Such austerity, his face is still red, laughter

still loud. I dare not say how deep his knowledge of Buddhism is. But I really know that he is a good monk,

He knows a little, then go to do a little, can do a little, then do a little. He may not be very learned, but what he does know

is practiced.

After becoming a monk, he soon became the abbot of a large temple. But it was not long before he was driven out. He wanted to be a true monk, so he did not sell his temple property to help the poor. The temple does not want this kind of abbot. Generally speaking, an abbot's

responsibility is to expand the temple property, not to relieve suffering. Leaving the great temple, he went to be the abbot of a

temple that did not have any property. He had no money of his own, and he had to find fasting food for the monks every day, and at the same time, he organized a porridge

mill and other charitable works. He was poor, he was busy, he had only one simple vegetarian meal a day, but his laughter was still loud. His temple should not be Buddhist affairs, rushed to someone to invite, he led the monks to give people to recite the true sutra, do not

pay. He was absent from the temple all day, but he did not forget his practice; he held the precepts more and more strictly, and was y

acquainted with the scriptures. During the day he went from place to place collecting money for his work, and at night he worked in his small room. No one who saw this broken monk ever thought

that he was once a rich man who grew up in gold.

Last year, one day he was reciting sutras to a monk who had passed away, when he suddenly closed his eyes and sat down. After the cremation

and burial, people found many relics on his body.

Without him, I might never have enrolled in school to read for the rest of my life. Without him, I might never have remembered the joy and meaning of helping others

. Did he really become a Buddha? I don't know, but I do believe that his intentions

and words and deeds are similar to those of Buddha. I have been benefited by him spiritually and materially, and now I do want him to be a real

Buddha, and hope that he will lead me to goodness with the Buddha's heart, just as he did thirty-five years ago, when he dragged me to a private school

!

He was Master Sogetsu.

Taking Money

I tell you, Ergo, the Chinese are great. Take the banks, Ergo, the smallest bank in China is

better than a foreign one, no offense to you. You see, Second Brother, I even took a big nap in the bank yesterday. Let me tell

you this, Second Brother, you can't do it in a foreign bank.

When I went to a foreign country that year, didn't you say I followed the foreign devils? Second brother, you are so prescient. Or to take the bank

The bank said it, I saw with my own eyes, the foreign devils and then learn a hundred years can not catch up with the Chinese. The foreign devils are not enough. As soon as I entered the door of the bank, there was the counter,

The counter did not have a shiny brass bar or a brass plaque of any size. You see, Brother Two, what is the

difference between this and an oil and salt store? It's not a shop. Besides, there are several people standing at the counter, all with their hair combed and their faces washed, and their faces are still

smiling; how cheap it is! Give the check to any one of them, and they'll ask you good morning or good afternoon first; it's just not enough pie

! Taking the check and just looking at it that way, followed closely by, "How do I take it? Sir!" Still smiling. What kind of business

person is that? Called "sir" is not enough, must also smile, foreign devil temper! I said, two brother: "four one

pound sheet, five pounds a sheet, one pound zero; zero to be ticket and money both to be reasonable, two brother, ten pounds of money

To this set of long-winded, you hate it, if two brother, you're a banker's mate? You guess what, two brothers, foreign

Ghosts smiled even more cheap, as if this trouble is deserved, drink, immediately from the counter under the book,

brush brush on the write; write, and then a hand, money is money, the ticket is the ticket, without a wink of an eye, all to me

count out; followed by: "Please point I'm not going to be able to do that, but I'm going to be able to do it," he said. Another big "sir", cheap, do not know how to buy

sell rules! After counting the money, I froze, as if I had forgotten something, yes, I did not forget anything,

It is strange that the foreign devil officer - and it is a big bank - why is it so fast? Where's the mourning? What the fuck

!

Ergo, it's still a Chinese bank, and what a party! Didn't I say I was going to get the money yesterday?

Because it's hot now, the bank opens at 8:00 a.m. We have to be careful about what we do, because there are people who can and can't serve us, don't you think? The bank, people really open

door, I said in my heart, two brother: hot days, say when to open the door when open, really not

easy. The fact that people are not open for a day, is not anyone's business? I'm going to go inside while I'm praising. Drink,

Large electric fan blowing, people have been according to the part of each sitting firmly, smoking cigarettes, ringing the bell for tea,

Great, like a group of emperors, too enough faction. I look, I am embarrassed to go over, hot days, do not call

people more rest a while, it is a bit ungrateful. But in the end, I went over, two brothers, because I was afraid of people to throw me

out; people look at me like nothing, not to throw out it? They are a bank, not a teahouse, so you can go in and out as you please

. I went over there and very slowly put the check on the counter. No one paid any attention to me, of course. One of them looked at me

and I was glad; it wasn't easy to look at me on a hot day. As soon as I got there, I got ready: first

I stood on my left leg, so that I could switch legs if I got tired. The left leg stood for ten minutes, and I was very happy that my leg

did have strength. Support to twelve minutes to lift can not not change the leg, so the right golden chicken stand alone. The right leg is not

weak, I'm more happy, hi, cool to have a monkey gnawing on the peach, I'll head down, down the counter inverted standing for a few minutes.

Turning over, everyone still hasn't moved, I turned over about ten more times and hit some spinning feet. Just stood firmly, over

one; heart said: I have not practiced two sets of boxing it: so fast? The gentleman came over to spit, and I made up

two sets of punches. When I finished practicing the punches, I sweated a little and it hurt. Stood for a while longer, catching my breath while admiring the big

family's pies - so steady! I wanted to give them a cheer. At 8:40 a.m., one came over, face about to rain, eyebrows

full of black clouds, looked at me, and I was sad to come and trouble people on a hot day. He looked at the check

and then at me, as if concluding that the check and I were like brothers unlike each other. I was tempted to sign a

word on my brain. He took the check away without even uttering a breath and threw me a small brass plaque. I said straight out, "Not busy, not busy! Today

Today is not suitable, I will come back tomorrow; tomorrow the fall." I was really afraid of pissing him off, in the heat. He still didn't

talk to me, really enough pie, make me respect!

With the brass plaque in hand, I sat down in my chair and looked over to the side where the money was put. The gentleman who put the money in - a middle-aged man who looked like Qu

Yuan - had just rung the bell for noodles with shredded chicken. I thought to myself: the workers had reached the kitchen, and the cook had to go out to the street to buy a chicken,

which, by chance, might not be ready yet; and even if he got the chicken, the noodles might not be ready yet, so I might have to wait for three days and three nights for this bowl of noodles with shredded chicken.

This is the first time I've ever seen a chicken noodle in a restaurant in China. Of course, the gentleman who put the money in would never put the money in before he ate the noodles; how could he do anything in the heat of the day without

food in his belly? I feel so sorry for the people, second brother! I was a bit sleepy and leaned back in my chair and

slept. I slept well, no mosquitoes or bedbugs, in the end it was a bank! Once I closed my eyes, I slept for more than fifty minutes; my

body, Ergo, was good! Eat well, sleep well! Stealing a pleasant glance over to the gentleman who put the money away, (not

good enough to look squarely at it, it's not right to rush the laborers on a hot day!) The chicken noodle is not here yet. I am very anxious for him,

How hard it is to sit with a hungry stomach.

It's hard to sit still when you're so hungry. I can't help but admire him,

I'm sure he's a good man.

It was about ten o'clock when the noodles with shredded chicken came! "About," because I refused to look at the clock on the wall - it wasn't friend enough to show urgency on a hot

day. Besides, I'd only waited two o'clock, so what was the point. I

sneakily watched the man eat his noodles. He wasn't a slow eater. I feel sorry for people. It would be inhumane to force him to choke to death just to cash my check! I don't think it's humane to make him choke to death just to cash my check. After he finished his noodles, he rang for a hand towel, then lit

a fire paper and opened a small water pipe. I was relieved that he wasn't going to choke to death. He smoked another half-dozen or so waterpipes.

This time, the second brother. I've been waiting for the money to be withdrawn for six or seven people, and we looked at each other with a sorry look in our eyes.

This is the first time I've seen a bank in the world, and I'm not sure if it's a good idea. If I were to open a bank, Ergo, I would have shot two of them on the day the market opened to save me the trouble of having to do it later.

What kind of money do you want to withdraw on a hot day? I don't know what I'm talking about!

At half past ten, the money man stood up and stretched his waist. Then he held a small water pipe and colleague's whispered gossip

to. I hold for him, second brother, a hot day, ten thirty still have to gossip in the line, how not free!

Based on his

presence, he should at least go to Qingdao for two months to avoid the summer heat; he is still in the line, and he still has to gossip, huh?

At eleven o'clock, he came back, put down his water pipe and went out; probably to pay his respects. He did not return till half-past eleven.

This is a very hot day, Erge, and it's not easy for people to go out at half an hour!

At 11:30, he actually picked up a pen

to write the accounts and read the checks. I'm going to go over there and tell him not to rush. In the heat of the day, for a few money to get a little sick to

not fit. To T + point, I decided to go home and come back tomorrow. I was just about to leave when the gentleman who put the money in called out, "Number one!"

I really didn't want to go over there, the man had let me down! I had only waited four o'clock for the money to be released, and Piper was not at home! But he didn't disappoint me at

the end. When I went over there, he didn't say anything but pointed to the back of the check, which I had forgotten to sign on the back

and he didn't wait for me to pull out the tap pen and said, "We'll talk about it tomorrow." That's what I was hoping for! Ben

Come on, people are one point closed; I make up the signature on the word, and then wait for four o'clock, is not it four o'clock in the afternoon, the big hot

day, second brother, people can not close by then? I put away the check and tried to say a few appropriate words of politeness, but

he shouted "No. 2"; I couldn't delay him any longer, and decided to go home and write a proper letter of apology! Second brother,

You have to open your eyes, too much pie!